


Take a Walk in My Skin

by wilddragonflying



Series: Roleplays [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, RP, Roleplay, monster!winchesters, rp with impalagirl, skinwalker!Dean, skinwalker!Sam, skinwalker!Winchesters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-27
Updated: 2013-04-27
Packaged: 2017-12-09 17:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/776241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilddragonflying/pseuds/wilddragonflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Winchesters have gotten themselves into trouble. Again.</p><p>Except this time, it's trouble of the fur-bearing variety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Walk in My Skin

Dean was desperate.

 

It had been two days since Sam had disappeared. Sam had left to go interrogate a witness to a local skinwalker attack, and Dean had been busy working another angle. Sam hadn't met him back at the motel room that night as planned, and Dean couldn't reach him by cell. Then Sam's jacket and phone had shown up outside the motel room earlier the next day, splatters of blood all over the fabric. Now Dean was hoping like hell he wasn't too late to get Sam out of whatever trouble he was in now.

 

Erik smirked down at the young man bound, kneeling, on the concrete floor in front of him. "The great Sam Winchester," he rumbled, walking a slow circle around Sam. "On his knees before me; now there's a sight I've been _drooling_  to see." He let a hand move down to caress Sam's hair, moving down to drift over the young hunter's shoulders. "You'll make a splendid addition to the Clan. Your strength, speed, and intelligence are of a height rarely seen among my--  _our--_ kind." He'd changed the younger Winchester brother when he'd first been brought in, and now that he was conscious, Erik was eager to see what skin he would take. Their Clan was made up of what mortals called the "big cats": leopards, panthers, lions, tigers, anything that wasn't exactly a "house cat." Erik himself could take the skin of a black-maned lion. He was betting that Sam would take either panther or tiger.

 

Sam flinched away from the skinwalker's touch, disgust evident in his expression. "I'm not a part of your Clan," he spat, even as he acknowledged what must have happened to him. Oh God. Dean was going to rescue him, and then he was going to put him down like a sick dog. Or cat, apparently. "I'm not one of you, so get the fuck away from me."

 

"Your blood would say otherwise," Erik purred, coming around to stand in front of Sam. "You are a skinwalker now, Sammy." He sneered the nickname, his upper lip curling. "I'm sure your brother is on his way; unfortunately I have no use for him. I will be sending out a patrol to... intercept him." Erik suddenly reached out and slapped Sam hard, then gripped his chin and got close enough so that all he and Sam could see were each other's eyes. "Now," he growled, his voice full of an Alpha's command, " _change._ "

 

Sam didn't have a fucking choice. He didn't even have a chance to fight it. Before he knew what was happening, white-hot agony ripped through him as his body shifted, bones snapping and muscle contorting to frame a new shape. He tried to cry out in fear and pain, but instead of a human shout, a terrified yowl tore itself from his throat - and then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. Sam Winchester was gone, and in his place stood a sleek, black panther, peering up at Erik through yellow eyes.  
  
'Oh shit,' Sam thought, and passed out.

 

It was a good thing the Winchester boy passed out. Erik's nostrils flared as he took in the black panther's scent. Oh shit. He'd thought the boy would be a Beta-- nothing more. The scent coming from the panther, though, was close to Erik's own: the scent of an Alpha. _Shit,_ he thought, gazing intently at the unconscious feline in front of him. "Put him in the collar, chain him next to my chair," he ordered one of the Omegas, who scrambled to obey his command. The collar was made of silver; it would dull the boy's senses and abilities, leaving him unable to assume full Alpha power. Erik needed time to convince him he was merely a Beta, destined to be second-best, so that his Alpha abilities would be suppressed.

Watching the Omegas force the silver collar and chain around Sam's neck, Erik mused that-- when the secondborn turns out to be an Alpha, the firstborn is usually an Omega, sometimes a Beta. In the case of the Winchesters, this was exceptionally interesting.

When Sam woke up, he wasn't a panther anymore. That was about as much as he could tell - that, and the fact that he was naked. Fuck. He lifted his head, body moving automatically in an attempt to cover himself, and found that he couldn't sit up. Nothing was stopping him, per se, but he felt weak, sluggish. "Did you drug me?" he mumbled, trying to sound angry and authoritative but his words were slurred and pitiful. He collapsed back onto the floor, feeling dizzy. Shit.  
  
And where was Dean? He knew, full well, that his big brother was looking for him - to save him or put him down, it made no difference, because either way the outcome would be the same: a silver bullet through Sam's head. Oh God - silver.  He hadn't been drugged at all; the collar around his neck was made of silver. Ha. It really didn't matter what Dean was coming to do with Sam. They were both as good as dead.

 

"No, no drugs, Sam," Erik purred from his position in the chair Sam was chained next to. "Just silver. Now that you've changed, your Beta powers will be coming in. Have to make sure you won't hurt yourself or others." _Or try to overthrow me._ "I've never had a Beta as powerful as you; very few skinwalkers can walk in the skin of a black panther. The only thing rarer is a black tiger." Erik tilted his head to the side curiously. "Perhaps your brother... Well, it is useless to speculate. He won't be alive much longer," the elder skinwalker smirked.

 

Sam's first instinct was to bargain for Dean's life. If Erik thought that Dean would shift into a rare form, wouldn't he be coveted? But that was a bad idea - Dean would rather die than be turned into something that wasn't human. Feeling utterly helpless, he decided to take a different approach, trying to distract Erik from Dean altogether. "What's... what's a Beta?" he asked, making himself sound curious rather than demanding or disgusted. "I don't understand how all of this works."

"Alphas, Betas, and Omegas," Erik answered, relishing the slightly-desperate tone in the young skinwalker's voice. He truly cared for his brother, how sweet. Erik had torn his own brother's throat out. "The three parts of any pack or clan. Alphas are the leaders, the strongest and smartest. Omegas are the weakest and most common, but by no means the least important. Betas fall somewhere in between. Some can be only a little stronger than an Omega, while others can almost pass for an Alpha. The one thing Alphas have that no Beta or Omega has, and that only another, stronger Alpha could refuse is the Alpha Command. It's what I used to force you to change." Erik reached down and stroked Sam's hair absently as another skinwalker approached the chair.

"Sir. The patrol has found him; they will be back soon." The Beta stood with shoulders straight and stared at Erik's chest, the gesture slightly submissive, but not as submissive as an Omega's would be.

"Good. Have them bring him in here as soon as they arrive. I'm sure he's desperate to find out what happened to his poor baby brother," Erik sneered, his hand still stroking the sluggish figure collared beside him.

Sam whimpered pathetically when he heard that Dean had been captured. He was weak, would be useless in a fight, helpless to keep Dean safe - but maybe, just maybe, he could afford Dean some peace of mind before they did whatever they were going to do to him. The 'rather dead than a monster' thing didn't apply to just Dean in his eyes.  
  
"Please," Sam murmured, pushing his head up into Erik's hand like a cat would, hoping to placate him somehow. He was never going to admit how good it felt. "Make me change again; tell him I'm dead. Don't want him to see me like this..."

 

"Hmm..." Erik hummed, pretending to think it over. "Tempting, but no. See, I want to break Dean. He's taken out far too many of my kin. He's even killed my mate." A thought occurred to Erik, and a wicked gleam lit his eyes for a moment before he shoved it down. "Maybe... But no." Erik smirked. "Even the Winchesters wouldn't cross that line."

 

A light flush painted Sam's skin. He had an idea what 'line' Erik was talking about and while they hadn't crossed it, Sam had had a few wet dreams in his time that would imply he wanted to. "Please don't hurt him," he mumbled, eyes on the floor and voice hollow - the image of submission. It killed something inside of him to yield to Erik like this, but he had no choice - he had to use everything at his disposal to try to save Dean and right now that wasn't a whole lot. 

 

"Maybe, maybe not. I'll just have to see how you two behave," Erik purred. The way the younger Winchester was submitting himself was quite interesting. He would willingly sacrifice himself for his older brother? Erik had to wonder, _Why?_

 

Against all of his instincts, Sam laid down on the floor, practically at Erik's feet. If this was what the alpha wanted from him, he could have it, even if it only gave him the slightest chance to save Dean. All Sam could do now was wait, and hope that it worked. 

An hour or so later, Erik suddenly sat up straighter. He could hear his patrol coming back, and judging by the curses and shouts accompanying them, they had indeed been successful in capturing Dean Winchester.

Dean was scared out of his fucking mind, and when he was scared, he got aggressive. He felt naked even though he was still fully clothed. He had no weapons on him; the stinking skinwalkers had taken them all, then bound his wrists together. As he was dragged into what looked like a meeting room, he froze. Twelve skinwalkers were ranged around the room in a semi-circle facing the entrance. One was sitting in a chair, and Dean's heart plummeted as he recognized the naked, collared figure next to the chair: Sammy.

Sam's heart broke when he saw Dean, bound and scared, and it killed him to see understanding dawn on his big brother's face when their eyes met. He knew. There was no way he didn't, with Sam naked and collared to the Alpha of this clan's side. Speaking of the collar, the effects weren't as bad anymore. Sam's body was still sluggish and uncooperative but he could think straight and he could just about manage to sit up. The hours of submitting to Erik had stripped him of any sense of shame, however, and he didn't try to cover himself as he did so. "Dean," he croaked, voice thick with tears. "I'm sorry..."

"Oh god no," Dean whispered, then bit back a yelp as he was yanked forward. He glared at the man in the chair-- must be the Alpha, the bastard-- and snarled, "You'd better hope I don't get loose."

Erik smirked and stood up, giving Sam's hair one last pat, enjoying the flash of fury that lit Dean's eyes. "Oh, you're no danger to us now, Winchester," he purred, moving forward. As he approached, he decided that he quite liked the looks of this young man. Fiery, yes, but there was something, something so _delicious_ about seeing him bound. And after all, he could always be killed later. "It would be a shame to see you dead so soon," he decided. Quicker than Dean could react, Erik's hand darted out, grabbing Dean's arm and yanking it to his mouth before biting down, hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. His saliva would be enough to turn the boy.

Dean screamed as agony worse than it should have been flashed up his arm from where the Alpha's teeth had sunk in. When the Alpha released him, he dropped to the floor, writhing as it felt like fire and lava were burning their way through his body.

"No!" Sam yelled, right before Erik sank his teeth into Dean's arm; he lunged forward, but the silver collar meant that he didn't get far. He hit the ground a few inches away from where he'd started, and by then Dean was on the floor too, writhing in agony that Sam could remember all too well. He crawled forward, heedless of Erik or the other skinwalkers, reaching out as far as he could until he managed to clasp Dean's hand in his. "It's okay, it's okay, it'll be over soon," he sobbed, hating himself for letting this happen to Dean.

Dean couldn't feel anything past his own skin, muscles and bones rearranging themselves beneath his skin, which had started to prickle and itch and he was aware of even his facial structure changing as he thought-begged-prayed-pleaded _Oh God, no, please--_

"How sweet," Erik sneered as he kicked Sam away from the new skinwalker. Dean's fear and stress had forced himself into his new skin without Erik's command, and Erik watched eagerly as black fur began to sprout. He let out a pleased gasp when the change was done.

Instead of a bound Dean Winchester, there now stood a dazed black tiger.

Sam felt every moment of Dean's pain like it was his own, and he couldn't help the tears that poured down his face as he watched his brother change. The only saving grace, it seemed, was what he changed into. Erik had said that black tigers were rare - did that mean he wasn't going to kill Dean?   
  
"Dean, Dean, it's okay," Sam tried to soothe, knowing that he could be understood. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but it'll be okay." He turned his tear-stained face to Erik then, eyes hard and defiant despite how hard he'd been working to submit. "What are you going to do with him?"

Dean shook his head, confused. Everything felt off-balance. Why was the floor so close? He could smell _everything_ , and he felt his ears twitch as some sound came from in front of him.

Wait.

His ears twitched? He whipped his head around and let out a startled yowl as he realized _he_ wasn't standing there; a tiger was. His head snapped around, a growl rumbling from his throat and turning into a hiss as he faced the Alpha.

Erik was staring delightedly at the sight before him-- two of the rarest skins, both in his clan, changed by him! "Oh, I'm not going to kill him, not now that I see this splendid skin he's taken," he said, a hungry smile spreading over his face. "However," he continued, the smile turning into a leer, "I have found myself sorely lacking in companionship these past few years. I think it would be fitting for Dean to take the place of the mate he killed."

Sam felt the colour drain from his face. "No," he snarled, desperation making him bold. "No, you can't mate him. He's..." What choice did he have? Oh shit. Sam locked gazes with Dean, silently willing him to understand before he choked out, "He's _my_ mate."

 

Later Erik would admit that it was a stupid move. Dean Winchester-- even dazed and in a different skin, a skin he was completely unfamiliar with-- was a force to be reckoned with. He'd just turned to look at Sam in surprise when something extremely heavy landed on his shoulder blades, knocking him to the ground. He didn't have a chance to catch himself, and then it was lights out.

 

Dean ran. He was in a tiger's body, and he  _ran_  after he lunged at the Alpha. He'd thought that he heard the Alpha's forehead crack against the concrete, but he didn't worry about that. It wasn't until he was far, far away from the skinwalkers' lair that he realized Sam hadn't followed. He panicked, a whimper forcing its way out of his throat as he paced, still in the tiger's body. He was glad it was night; his black fur would blend in better than it would during the day.

 

Dammit, he'd thought that Sam had only said that to distract the Alpha so they  _both_  could get away! Thinking back on it, though... Dean remembered that Sam had been collared.  _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_  he screamed at himself, feeling his anger peak. He let out a roar as he felt his skin shift back, and when it was over, he collapsed, panting, to his hands and knees. "Dammit, Sammy," he sobbed, beating his fist against the ground. "Dammit! You damned stubborn bastard!" The collar had to have been made of silver; it would have been why Sam hadn't shifted, hadn't run.

 

Getting shakily to his feet, Dean faced back the way he'd come. "I'll find you," he vowed. "I swear to God, I will find you."  _And if I find you too late,_  he added silently,  _I'll put a silver bullet through my own brain._

 

Dean reacted exactly the way Sam expected him to, but he couldn't move as he watched the black tiger run from the room. It broke something inside of him when Dean didn't even bother to turn back, to try to take Sam with him - but that had been the plan, he tried to tell himself. Sam was in no state to follow, and it was better for one of them to get away than for both of them to die. As the rest of the clan erupted in chaos all around him, Sam let the tears flow and hoped that punishment would be swift and fatal when Erik woke up.

 

When Erik woke up-- even with a skinwalker's advanced healing abilities, he still had a nasty cut across his forehead-- he snarled at the Omegas to pack everything up. "We're moving. And  _you,"_ he snapped, whirling to grab Sam by the chain still hanging from his collar. "You're coming with us. If I can't have Dean, then I will have his brother under my control." He snarled again before storming from the central chamber.

 

When Dean finally made it back to the motel room, he stumbled to the table, picking up the piece of paper with one name scrawled on it:  _Erik Convars_. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed Bobby's number. "Bobby," he said without preamble, "I need you to get me everything you know about a skinwalker called Erik Convars. He's gonna be changing lairs, soon, and I need to know where he's likely to move."

 

"How do you know he's moving? And what do you want with him?" Bobby asked, even as Dean could hear papers shuffling.

 

"Because Sam and I startled him. We got stupid, made a stupid mistake."  _I made stupid mistakes. I got Sammy taken, then left him behind._  "I want him dead."

 

A year passed, and Sam blossomed under Erik's tutelage. With only the clan for support, he didn't have much choice; Erik trained him to be the perfect Beta, and in turn he offered his service as best he could. That last part rankled, but he never could work out why. Erik told him that it was in his blood to serve the Alphas of their kind, and the Alpha of his clan in particular, but it was so hard to submit. Something was missing, something his body was telling him he needed, or needed to do - but he didn't know what, so he ignored it as best he could.  
  
Dean was never far from Sam's mind. Where was he? What was he doing? Was he still alive? Those questions were what kept Sam from losing himself in the politics of Erik's clan; what kept him sane. He had to stay alive, and stay focused, in the hope that one day he would see Dean again - even if he came to kill him.

 

Bobby studied Dean worriedly. "Son, Sammy's been in this clan of skinwalkers for over a year, you know he's--"

 

"I know," Dean said heavily. He bit his lip, and then decided it was time to tell Bobby the one thing he'd kept secret. He turned to Bobby and rolled up his sleeve, exposing the still-unhealed scars of the Alpha's teeth. "I found them. Or rather, they found me. The Alpha... He wanted me. As his mate, to replace the one I apparently killed. So he changed me." Dean rubbed a hand over his face. "Sam told him he couldn't mate with me, told him that I was Sam's mate. I thought Sam was going to escape with me, but... He had a silver collar on."

 

Bobby sucked in a breath. Both Winchesters-- skinwalkers? "And what... skin, I guess, do you two take?" he asked, looking at Dean through new eyes. Dean's behavior over the past year-- rarely sleeping, eating his meat rarer than usual, and the heightened senses-- made one hell of a lot more sense now.

 

"I don't know about Sam, I wasn't there long enough to find out. As for me, well..." Dean hesitated. He'd basically taught himself everything he knew about actually being a skinwalker, not just killing them. "Here." Closing his eyes, Dean reached for the vision that was never far from his mind: Sam chained and collared, laid prone at the feet of Erik Convars. With a snarl, he felt his skin, muscles, and bones shift. The more he shifted-- and he shifted almost every day-- the less it hurt to shift. After a moment, he shook his head and looked up at Bobby, his green eyes flashing.

 

Bobby sucked in a breath. "Holy shit," he breathed, staring at the large, well-muscled black tiger standing in his study. If he hadn't seen Dean change with his own eyes, Bobby would have sworn it was some magician's trick.

 

"Okay. Then it's a good thing I found a lead on Erik's clan," Bobby said.

 

Erik studied Sam where the young man was standing. It was his night to do night watch. As always, he'd gone to his post and shifted, staring intently out into the open, his black fur nearly invisible against the night sky and shadows. Sam was the image of a perfect Beta, but Erik could sense the restlessness that still simmered beneath the surface.

 

Sam’s ears twitched, and he shifted restlessly, tail flicking back and forth. Erik was standing behind him, he knew; he had smelled the Alpha coming. It made him uncomfortable, the way Erik watched him sometimes, but he was still the newest member of the clan – maybe it was normal.

 

After a moment, confident that there was no threat on the horizon, Sam turned and paced over to Erik, ducking his head as a sign of respect and submission before sitting back on his haunches. ‘Alpha. Is everything alright?’ he asked, tapping into the telepathic link that existed between all skinwalkers.

 

Erik studied the panther standing in front of him. “Yes,” he said finally. “Everything is just fine.” And it was; Sam had shown no signs of suspecting that he was more than a Beta. Erik’s fears were unfounded.

 

The only thing that bothered him now was the little tiny issue of Dean Winchester’s continued survival.

 

Dean shifted back to human form, looking at Bobby in surprise. “You know where he is?” he demanded.

 

“I know where a large clan of skinwalkers with a black-maned lion among them is,” Bobby corrected. “Far as I know, there’s only two black-maned lions in North America; most of the rest of them are in Africa. North America’s not too popular for big cats.”

 

“That’s gotta be him,” Dean said, feeling hope spark for the first time in over a year. “Where?”

 

Sam thought that he could hear an unusual undercurrent to Erik's tone, but everything sounded a little different when he was like this, so he dismissed it. 'If you need anything, don't hesitate, Alpha,' he purred instead, licking his chops before standing and padding back to his post, eyes peeled and ears pricked for any sign of danger. Irritatingly, the only thing he could feel was Erik's gaze on him.

 

Erik studied the young skinwalker for another moment before deciding he could use a run, himself. He turned and shifted as he walked away, then quickly sprang forward, enjoying the unbridled strength pouring through his muscles.

 

Dean shifted anxiously in the seat of the Impala. He was only a few hours away from where the clan had been spotted, but he didn't put any faith in his reconnaissance skills; he doubted Erik would have forgotten the scent of the man--  _Skinwalker, now_ , Dean reminded himself-- who had killed his mate and then escaped him.

 

As he drove, he kept trying to come up with a plan that didn't end in him and Sam both captured. 

 

About half an hour before the end of Sam's watch, something changed. The air was suddenly thicker, and a heat that wasn't entirely unpleasant prickled beneath his skin. Sam shifted, uneasy, and began to pace back and forth. He couldn't escape the feeling that something was coming... but what?

 

He was only a few miles from town when Dean had to pull over and get out of the car, pacing restlessly and fighting the urge to shift and run... somewhere. He felt like a rope was tied around his waist, tugging him to the east. It was several minutes before he could manage to get himself under control and continue driving into town.

 

When he arrived, Dean immediately checked into a motel, taking the room for the next two weeks. Bobby had told him where the lair was most likely located, and now Dean just had to find a way to get into it.

 

The only thing he was worried about now was the fact that the lair lay in the same direction that the tugging in his gut was trying to lead him towards.

 

A few days later, Dean still had no plan when Bobby called. "Son, I got good news for you: Erik's clan is definitely the one near you."

 

"Good, except I have no clue how to get in there and out with Sam." Dean paced in front of the window restlessly.

 

"You could let yourself get caught. Say you couldn't leave Sam alone with the psychopaths," Bobby suggested.

 

Dean snorted. "Bobby, I knocked the Alpha out and escaped. Pretty sure the Alpha wants my head on a platter now, not his dick up my ass."

 

"Either way, you know you can't leave Sam there. Maybe you can make some sort of bargain." Bobby had run into an interesting tidbit of information: Apparently skinwalkers were one of the few monsters that could know when their destined mate was nearby. The stronger the connection, the more insistent the symptoms. He'd always wondered about Dean and Sam before, and now... "Dean, you haven't been feeling... I don't know, compelled? Like you need to run in a certain direction?"

 

Dean froze. "No," he said after a moment, but his heart was beating faster. "Why?"

 

"Because that's the skinwalker's sign that his or her destined mate is nearby," Bobby said, hearing the hesitation in Dean's tone and knowing the older Winchester was lying. It was as good as confirmation to Bobby, though he'd have to take a while and decide how he felt about the two brothers apparently being soulmates to each other.

 

 _Sam,_  Dean thought, almost said aloud. "Interesting," he said instead. "Bobby, I think I came up with a plan. If you don't hear from me in a while, I'm either dead or still in the middle of the plan."

 

"So in other words, nothing's changed?" Bobby said wryly.

 

Dean just laughed and hung up, then began getting ready.

 

A few days after his talk with Sam on the rooftop, Erik was running along the outer perimeter, Sam at his side, when he suddenly caught a scent he hadn't smelled in a year. Veering to the side with a snarl, he plunged into the underbrush, moving swiftly towards the scent of tiger.

 

 

Sam followed Erik, but he was running for an entirely different reason. The sensations he'd been feeling for the last few days had suddenly intensified, urging him to follow this scent, to track whoever it belonged to and claim them as his own. God, he'd never smelled anything like it - so delicious, intoxicating almost, like he _had_ to have this skinwalker. The pull was so strong that his stride didn't falter when he realised that he recognised the scent as Dean's; if anything, he ran faster.

 

Erik wondered why Sam was outrunning him-- he was a Beta, he should be behind the Alpha-- but then it hit him: Sam's claim that he and Dean were mates. Maybe they hadn't consummated the bond, but if Sam was this desperate to reach his brother, then...

Erik redoubled his pace.

Dean had shifted to his other skin, his pads silent on the turf as he paced restlessly, resisting the urge to run, to follow the tug.

'Dean,' he heard in his mind, and his head whipped up, ears pricked and eyes wide to pull in every drop of moonlight so he could see better. He expected to see something-- whatever Sam had turned into-- other than a black-maned lion explode out of the underbrush, but the lion was what greeted him.

'What are _you_ doing here?' he heard echo through his thoughts even as a ferocious snarl burst from the lion's drawn-back lips.

Dean easily fought the urge to prostrate himself before the Alpha. Instead, he stood tall, gazing at Erik non-threateningly, but steadily. 'I came to join my brother,' he thought, testing out the apparently telepathic link all skinwalkers shared.

Erik snarled, his back arching. 'Give me one good reason not to kill you right now.'

Sam arrived mere moments after Erik, slightly pissed off that the Alpha had beaten him to Dean. He still didn't understand the pull he was feeling but he followed it easily, insinuating himself between his brother and Erik. 'Because he's mine,' Sam snapped back, teeth bared. 'I won't let you hurt him.' Maybe it was strange, acting against his Alpha like this, but Sam had abandoned that mentality the moment he caught Dean's scent; now he was acting purely on instinct. 

 

Erik's nostrils flared slightly as he caught the pulse of Alpha scent coming from Sam. The need to keep Sam-- who Erik was beginning to fear was a more powerful Alpha than he-- under the misconception that he was only a Beta was stronger than Erik's desire for revenge.

Dean watched his brother, slightly in awe. A black panther? How cool was that? And obviously both panther and man were well-cared for. Sam's claim that Dean was _his_ , though... Dean shoved aside the memory of Bobby's words. 'I only came to join,' he said, mentally reminding himself to stay calm.

Erik studied the two brothers. A black tiger and a black panther, standing side by side, two sets of eyes flashing protectively, one set golden, one set green. He could practically see the bond between them, and he decided it couldn't hurt to bring Dean in. 'Fine,' he said, flicking his tail, indicating for them to follow. 'Follow me, Betas.' He'd been hoping Dean would be an Omega-- much more fun and a lot easier to boss around-- but it looked like both Winchesters were more powerful than he thought.

For the first time since he joined the clan, the term 'Beta' used in reference to him sent a pulse of _wrong_ through Sam's whole body. He didn't know what it meant, but he could examine it later. Right now, he was too busy butting his head against Dean's and licking him, the cat version of a hug and the best he could do just then. 'Missed you,' he murmured as they fell into step behind the Alpha - _wrong, wrong, wrong_ with every pace - knowing that Erik could hear but for once not caring. They were supposed to be mates, after all.

 

'Missed you, too,' Dean murmured, rubbing his cheek against Sam's. He followed Erik cautiously, keeping close to Sam's side. Dean wondered at the wave of confusion and even resentment coming from Sam, but he didn't draw attention to it.

Erik led the way back into the lair, and shifted as he walked into the central chamber, striding across it without a thought to his nudity. He walked over to his chair and turned, seating himself in it and looking the two brothers over curiously.

Normally, Sam would have followed the Alpha's example and shifted his skin, but something was telling him that he might need the power and speed he found in his panther form, so he didn't. Really, it was his decision anyway. Keeping close to Dean, Sam sat down in front of Erik, his tail curling around himself in a casual gesture that was belied by the tension in his body. 'Well, Alpha?' he asked, blinking his large amber eyes innocently. 'What is it that we can do for you?'

 

Erik throttled down the uneasiness that flashed through him when both brothers stayed in their other skins. "The Winchester brothers," he mused. "It seems Fate likes you two together."

Dean tensed, remembering the odd tug and Bobby's theory. He didn't say anything, just shifted a little closer to Sam. He'd been hoping Bobby's theory wasn't true, the whole soulmate thing, but the way he'd felt when Sam had called Dean "his" confirmed it. He couldn't deny that he'd always had... more-than-brotherly thoughts about Sam, but he'd never have acted on them.

Sam's tail twitched toward Dean when he felt the tiger edge closer, until it was resting behind him. It didn't mean anything, per se, but anyone watching would see it for what it was - possessive, protective, a way of saying 'I'm here' to Dean and 'don't fuck with him' to everyone else without pissing the Alpha off.   
  
'You'd better not mess with it by trying to separate us, then,' was Sam's response to Erik's words, said innocently enough save for the threatening edge to them that was more than obvious. Sam didn't know what he was doing, challenging the Alpha like this, but it felt natural, like he was being true to himself for the first time since he was turned.

 

Erik visibly twitched at the challenging, possessive edge to Sam's tone, and he forced himself to stay as relaxed as possible and not give into the lion, roaring to meet this challenger. "Very well, then," he conceded, nodding to a nearby Omega who was staring at the two black felines with wide eyes. "Take them to Sam's room."

Sam's tone, protective and possessive, almost sent a shiver of... something down Dean's spine. As it was, he carefully got to his feet and followed Sam and the Omega down the hall.

As soon as they were alone, Sam was on Dean. He didn't feel comfortable shifting back to human form just yet, so he rubbed up against his brother in a way that was strangely intimate, despite the fact that he'd done the same with several members of the clan and hadn't felt a thing. 'God, it's been too long,' he purred, nuzzling Dean's neck before stepping back abruptly as something occurred to him. Skinwalker or not, Dean was first and foremost a hunter, and as glad as Sam was to see that he hadn't put a silver bullet through his brain, his presence raised some questions. Such as: 'Are you here to kill us?'

 

Dean had been enjoying the contact, and blinked slowly in surprise at Sam's question and the lack of touch. 'No. I have no way to conceal a weapon, remember?' He slowly backed away a step, head bowed and turned slightly to the side in a gesture of submission. It was something he'd never felt compelled to do, not even with Erik, who was an Alpha.

 

Something fluttered inside of Sam at this reaction, like it was the _right_ one despite the fact that he didn't want Dean bowing to him like this. 'You have your teeth,' he pointed out wryly, but even as he spoke he was pacing over to his brother, resting his head over Dean's neck and encouraging him to lie down. Sam went with him. This position was one he'd seen within the clan, adopted by lovers - and, admittedly, close friends and closer family members - to provide comfort as well as protection. 'You just submitted to me; do you realise that?' he asked curiously as he began to groom Dean. 'You're only supposed to do that for an Alpha.' His own words seemed to trigger something, and realisation began to dawn within Sam at last. Had Erik been lying to him this whole time?

 

Dean let instinct take over as he began grooming Sam as well. He paused for a second, considering. 'I suppose,' he said finally. 'But it just seemed... right. And teeth don't make extremely great weapons when the other guy has them, too, and has had them for longer than you've had yours.'

 

A deep, rumbling purr started up in Sam's chest when he felt Dean's rough tongue against his fur, but his brother's words gave him pause. Dean had a point - they wouldn't stand much of a chance against the others in a fight, and his reluctance to try was typical of a Beta's mentality: don't challenge your superiors. So why did Sam not agree with him?  
  
He stood up abruptly, walking away from Dean before turning to face him, tail twitching in agitation. 'I want to try something,' he announced, low and urgent. 'Do you trust me?'

 

Dean tilted his head to the side before standing up and padding over to Sam, rubbing his cheek against Sam's. 'Of course,' he murmured before backing away a step and watching Sam, wondering what he was going to do.

 

Dean's touch did wonders to soothe Sam, and he drew confidence and strength from it. It was weird; they'd never been physically affectionate before, but they'd touched more in the last twenty minutes than they had in the last two years, not including the one spent apart. Sam kind of liked it.  
  
'Don't laugh at me if this doesn't work,' he warned. 'I just want to try. Don't do anything; just stand there.' Sam took a deep breath and steeled himself, trying to pull the thing that had been simmering deep inside him since day one to the surface. Surprisingly - excitingly - enough, it went willingly. Now for the hard part. Sam focused on Dean, on his goal, and put as much authority and command as he possibly could into his voice as he ordered Dean to, ' _Change_.'

 

Dean bit back a startled yowl as he felt his skin begin to ripple, his muscles and bones moving in ways _he_ hadn't told them to. This shift was much more painful because he wasn't the one forcing it, and when it was done, he was on his knees, his arms wrapped around himself, his head bowed as he gasped for air. After several moments, Dean glanced up at Sam. "What the _hell_ was that?" he gasped out.

 

Sam almost fell over with shock as he watched Dean change. It was clear that he hadn't chosen to do so; that Sam had forced him to. Jesus... Once it was over and Dean was left panting, Sam shifted too, and stared over at his brother with wide eyes. "I'm an Alpha," he breathed, as though scared to say it out loud. He was at Dean's side in an instant, wrapping himself around him and ignoring how fantastic the skin-on-skin contact felt. "I'm an Alpha, Dean."

 

Dean finally managed to get his breath back. "An Alpha?" he demanded. "Thought Erik called you a Beta?" He let Sam hold him, even went so far as to wrap his arms around Sam as well. This last year apart was worse than any previous separation, because he'd known that Sammy was still alive, still in _this_ world.

 

Sam let himself get lost in Dean's arms for a moment before answering. After a year apart, time spent asking himself if Dean was alive or if he hated him, he just needed his big brother to hold him, and to hold his big brother in return. "He must have lied to me," he responded at last, fury simmering just below the surface of his words. "Didn't want me challenging his position, and I believed him like a fucking idiot. But this means we can bring him down, Dean. I can bring him down."

 

"What?" Dean yelped, his head snapping back to look at Sam, eyes wide. "No! I just got you back, Sam, I'm not letting you go throw yourself in danger _again_! Last time I did that we ended up here! If you're not strong enough to beat him then do you really think he'll let you live, now that you know you're an Alpha?" He moved his hands to Sam's shoulders, gripping them tightly as he stared at Sam, tried to will his little brother to understand. "I can't lose you again, Sammy," he said, softer this time, his voice almost breaking. "I can't," he whispered, and then instinct was taking over again and he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Sam's.

 

A kiss was the last thing Sam expected, and he jerked in surprise before melting into it with a moan. Dean was probably going to punch him afterwards but it felt so good, so right. Sam quickly took control, fisting his hand in Dean's hair as he swiped his tongue along the seam of his brother's lips, dipping inside when he was granted entrance. When they finally pulled apart, their mouths were wet and swollen and their breathing was coming in harsh pants.  
  
"Dean," Sam sighed, resting their foreheads together and completely bypassing the fact that they just made out. "You're not going to lose me. I won't let that happen. I'm not gonna do anything right away, okay? We have to work out what this means first." 

 

Dean nodded slowly, still a bit dazed by the fact that he'd kissed Sam and Sam had _kissed him back._ "Okay," he breathed. He licked his lips slowly, wanting to taste Sam again, but half-afraid to; Sam was the Alpha, Dean was a Beta. Not to mention the itty bitty little fact that they were brothers.

 

Sam searched Dean's face, but he didn't need to; he could smell the uncertainty on him. "You're freaking out, aren't you?" he asked, and then pressed a chaste kiss to Dean's lips, adding a little bit of what he was coming to think of as his Alphaness into his tone when he asked his next question; "Is this something you want?"

 

Dean didn't know how Sam did it, but he found himself whining softly and nodding, but still not leaning forward and kissing Sam just yet. "Yes," he breathed. "Wanted it for so long, Sammy," he whimpered.

 

That was all Sam needed. He yanked Dean forward and when their lips met again, this kiss was harder, more forceful, Sam taking what he wanted from Dean and giving everything in return. Sam, too, had wanted this for years; he just hadn't been willing to admit it to himself. Now, pressing his body against Dean's and kissing him for all he was worth, nothing had ever felt more perfect. 

 

Dean gave it all willingly, kissing Sam back hungrily, his hands moving to roam over his brother's body. When Sam pushed him down, Dean went easily, moaning softly and arching into Sam's touch, glad they were already naked.

 

Sam returned Dean's moan with one of his own, rolling his hips as he mapped out Dean's chest with his hands. "What do you want, big brother?" he asked, latching onto Dean's neck and sucking a deep mark into the skin. "Tell me, and you can have it."

 

"Want you," Dean whimpered, gasping and throwing his head back as Sam's mouth latched on his neck. "Want you, Sammy."

 

Sam growled against Dean's throat and positioned himself more comfortably between his legs as his hands began to travel downward, perfectly willing to give Dean exactly what he was asking for - but Fate had other plans. There was a light knocking sound which preceded the entrance of an Omega into the room. It was all Sam could do to not snarl at the young girl, who was flushed an embarrassed pink colour. "What?" he snapped, making absolutely no move to get off of Dean.   
  
"Umm, the Alpha suggested that you might want to take your mate on a tour? Get him used to his new home, and what's expected of him here..."  
  
Sam sighed. "Thanks. We'll take that into consideration. You can go." He knew full well that Erik's 'suggestion' was actually an order, and it would be unwise not to follow it at this point. Once the Omega left again, he pushed himself onto his knees and shuffled back a bit. "Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," he murmured apologetically, quirking an eyebrow. "To be continued?"

 

Dean made a noncommittal noise as he sat up slowly. Holy shit, had he been about to-- Dean sucked in a deep breath. He had. He'd been about to let Sam-- His mind shied away from the thought, and Dean found himself looking everywhere around the room except at Sam. It was one thing to want Sam for years, another to completely throw aside those years of denial, of convincing himself that Sam would never feel the same. He swallowed nervously. "So, what all  _is_  expected of me?" he asked, pulling his knees up to his chest.

 

Sam watched Dean withdraw from him with something akin to dismay. Dean hadn't lied when he'd said that he wanted what had been about to happen between them - Sam hadn't given him a choice - but clearly he was in denial of some form, couldn't accept it when not caught up in the heat of the moment. Fantastic. Sam sighed.   
  
"Not a lot," he answered after a beat, trying to see if his silence would return Dean's gaze to him. It didn't. "Obedience to the Alpha, mainly, and we have guard duty set up on a rotation. Basically, the Betas protect and defend the clan. We're soldiers, warriors, whatever you want to call it." It occurred to Sam then that the twisting of _wrong_ in his gut when he said 'we', the same twisting he felt every time he referred to himself as a Beta, was his body urging him to acknowledge his Alpha status. Well, he couldn't; not yet.  
  
Bowing his head, he shifted his form once more, and then he was peering over at Dean from a much lower vantage point. 'Come on,' he encouraged. 'I'll show you around.' All of the tension in the room had suddenly vanished from his awareness, and for the first time Sam could appreciate that things really were simpler when he was a cat.

 

Dean cautiously shifted back to the tiger after a moment. If someone had told him a year ago that he'd be more comfortable as a skinwalker-- able to leave the tensions and worries of the world behind, even if it meant he was now a monster-- than he ever had been as a human, he'd have shot them. But it really wasn't so bad, being able to just let go.

 

Dean followed Sam out of the room, his paws padding silently on the floor as he walked, ears flicking this way and that to catch every sound he could. 'This is a pretty big place,' he observed.

 

'Yeah, it is,' Sam acknowledged, leading Dean through their complex. 'We've been here for a while, but we've kept it simple. We stay in our cat forms most of the time; it's just easier.' And now Sam truly believed that. If he had to do this tour on two legs instead of four, he knew he would be spending far too much energy trying to read Dean's body language and work out where they stood now. No such concerns existed when he was a panther.

 

Dean followed Sam through the corridors, sticking close to the panther's side.  _Funny,_  he mused.  _I don't think of Sam as my little brother when I'm a tiger; he's either the panther or the Alpha..._  He'd have to be careful not to act too deferential to Sam, particularly in front of Erik. Dean glanced over at Sam, admiring the way the black fur pulled and rippled over the muscles. In either skin, his brother was beautiful. 

 

Sam could feel Dean's gaze on him and made a point of over-exaggerating every step, the same way a girl might sway her hips to make a guy look at her ass. Things may be over-simplified in this form, but that didn't mean he couldn't notice and enjoy Dean's appreciation of him. 'See something you like?' he asked, a smirk in his tone.

 

If Dean had been in his normal skin, he'd have flushed. As it was, he jerked his gaze guiltily from Sam's form, staring resolutely ahead. 'No,' he lied. He had no business ogling his little brother-- though the tiger didn't recognize the panther as his relation, rather his destined mate, apparently-- or kissing him, either. Dean's ears flattened in embarrassment as he remembered his wanton behavior from earlier. What had possessed him?

 

Thinking about it, he remembered Sam asking him what he wanted, but the voice had been Sam's, yet more than Sam’s at the same time. Sam must have been using a bit of his newfound Alpha powers.

 

Sam waited for the hurt to pierce his chest at Dean's rejection, but it didn't come. He was really enjoying this whole cat thing. What he did feel was the quiet confidence that apparently came with being an Alpha, because it was definitely new. Whatever its origin, it enabled him to cut his gaze to Dean, and flick the tiger with his tail, chiding him. 'You're lying,' he said casually as he slipped through the back door and out into the cool night air.

 

Dean dipped his head at the slight reprimand, but forced himself to stay quiet. He may be a Beta and Sam an Alpha, but he was still the older sibling, dammit. No way in hell was he apologizing to his little brother.

 

Instead he lifted his head, scenting the air. He could smell fresh air, and beyond, there was something that made his mouth water. 'Prey?' he asked, sliding a glance over to Sam. Whatever he was smelling was definitely alive.

 

Sam raised his amber eyes to the starlit sky, unimpressed. Even as a tiger, his brother was still a stubborn bastard. Dean was quick to draw his attention to other matters, though, and a sharp inhale was all it took for him to catch the scent. 'Prey,' he confirmed, turning to Dean and baring his teeth in his best approximation of a grin. 'Let's hunt.' And with that, he took off into the night.

 

Dean followed Sam. This, at least, he'd had plenty of practice in: hunting and tracking. He made sure to land lightly on his feet so as to make the least noise possible, and kept alert for other things that could scare away potential prey. He fell into position by Sam's left flank, easily keeping pace with the black panther, their pelts blending in with the shadows of the night.

 

The closer they got to their prey, the sharper the scent became. Sam was soon able to identify it as that of a deer, so far unaware of their presence; the air was not yet thick with its fear. As one, he and Dean slowed as they approached it, using the tall grass and the darkness as their cover. A twitch of Sam's tail instructed Dean to close in from the left, while he would approach from the right. They closed in perfectly, bellies low to the ground as they got ready to pounce. Just as the deer lifted its head and sniffed the air, its eyes wild, Sam gave the signal to strike.

 

Dean rolled his shoulders slowly as he waited for the signal, and when Sam gave it, he lunged. One jump brought him to the deer's shoulders, and he landed heavily, knocking it to the ground. Sam rushed in and got his jaws around the deer's throat, and Dean stayed where he was, ready to help if needed.

 

Afterwards, when they were tearing the deer apart, Sam realised that he shouldn't have been surprised. In this, as with everything else, they worked together seamlessly. Of course, a lot of that probably had something to do with their instincts as predators, but Sam was choosing to ignore that part. He didn't have to convince Dean’s instincts as a predator to mate with him - and woah, where did that come from?   
  
He sat down heavily, abruptly, and looked over the deer's carcass at Dean. Sure, he'd wanted his brother for years, and he had no doubt that, had they gone uninterrupted earlier, they would have fucked - but mating? That was different. That was a forever kind of deal. Even as he thought about it, he felt the thing in his chest that had been drawing him to Dean for days give a particularly forceful tug and he followed it willingly, standing up and padding over to sit beside the tiger. In a gesture reminiscent of their human skins, Sam entwined their tails together. 'Are we going to talk about this?'

 

Dean, who had been busy eating, almost jumped out of his skin when Sam sat down next to him and twined their tails together. He swallowed hastily and fought the urge to shift away. 'Do we need to?' he asked reluctantly. He really, _really_ didn't want to talk about this weird connection between them, or what had almost happened earlier, because talking about it would make it real, and Dean didn't know if he could handle that.

He realized that he'd stopped eating, and was staring at his paws, every muscle in his body tense. Guess the tiger didn't like discussing emotions anymore than the man did.

Sam fought the urge to roll his eyes, mainly because he hadn't yet in his panther form and he had a feeling it might be a painful experience. As it was, he sighed, and edged closer to Dean until they were very nearly touching. 'Yes,' he insisted, tone fond but exasperated. 'Something's happening here and we can't just ignore it. I don't want to. It feels... right. Don't you think?'

 

Dean shifted uncomfortably. 'Yeeeessss,' he admitted slowly. 'But you're my brother! We can't,' he insisted, getting up and pacing a few feet away. He felt the tugging trying to pull him back to Sam's side, but he resisted it. Sam was his _brother_ , it was wrong to want his brother in... _that_ way!

 

Sam sighed and watched Dean with sad eyes. 'I know you're my brother, asshole,' he sniped, irritated. 'And okay, there's the whole social taboo associated with incest, but I don't think that matters to skinwalkers. You don't _feel_ like my brother right now.' He stood up and walked over to Dean's side, purring loudly as he rubbed up against him. 'You feel like my mate.'

 

'Dude, are you purring?' Dean asked, shying away from Sam and looking at him in surprise. 'And besides, we don't... We don't have time for this!' He was reaching, he knew it, but Sam's insistence and-- he had to be honest with himself-- his fear were making him a bit desperate. He felt like he was being cornered, and the tiger didn't like that.

 

'Fine,' Sam said, and this time the hurt did pierce through the panther's calm. The Alpha in him was roaring at being rejected, but the man in him just felt humiliated. 'We'll still have to keep up appearances; you're only here because Erik thinks we're destined for each other.' He paced away from Dean, body tense; apparently it was his turn to give his brother the cold shoulder. 'I'm going back inside. Enjoy your meal.'

 

Dean watched the black panther disappear swiftly into the night, and he wanted to race after him, to explain how he was acting, he was just so damned scared, now that he was so close to Sam, so close to being _free_ with Sam, but his paws felt like they'd been frozen to the ground. When even his extraordinarily sharp hearing could no longer hear Sam's pawsteps, his legs finally moved, folding underneath him as he lowered himself to the ground, his head resting on his forepaws as he tried to collect himself.

Why did he break and hurt everything he loved?

Sam made a point of not returning to his room that night. He didn't think that he could face Dean, not after he'd embarrassed himself like that. What had he been thinking, throwing himself at Dean, opening himself up to rejection? It stung, and it rankled; he _knew_ Dean wanted him, he was just too stubborn to admit it.   
  
But then, Sam could be stubborn, too. He relieved one of the Betas who had just welcomed a new litter from his post on guard duty, and settled into the vacated spot, eyes trained on the horizon until long after the sun rose from behind it.

 

Dean had all but slunk back to their room, but when he hadn't found Sam there, he debated whether or not to go find him. After a moment, he sighed. He didn't want to be on his own here, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna go talk with Erik. For some reason, the thought of going near Erik made his hackles rise.

Letting the insistent tugging in his chest-- by now he was thinking it wasn't in his chest but in his heart-- lead him, he slowly made his way through the complex, nodding to the Betas who nodded to him. He caught a few appraising eyes-- both human and feline-- on him, but he ignored them.

Eventually he found Sam at one of the watchpoints, and he hesitated. What the hell was he supposed to do? He closed his eyes for a moment, and then let the tiger take over. He lowered himself, slowly crawling forward to Sam, keeping his gaze averted. When he was in front of Sam, he rolled himself to the side, exposing his stomach in a silent gesture of submission and apology.

Sam recognised the move for what it was, and if he could, he would have smiled. 'Don't let Erik catch you doing that,' he said fondly, letting his legs fold beneath him so that he could lie beside Dean. Instinct told him to commence the grooming process, but he refrained; he didn't know if the tiger would want that. 'Isn't the view from here beautiful?' he asked instead, drawing Dean's attention to the land their complex overlooked. Perhaps it was cowardly of him - a more confident Alpha might have continued to pursue what he wanted - but he wasn't prepared to expose himself just to be pushed away again. He had his pride.

 

Dean rolled back over to his stomach and tentatively shifted closer to Sam. 'It is,' he agreed, still a little uncertain; he hadn't had any contact with other skinwalkers; he was running completely off of instinct here.

 

Try as he might, Sam couldn't make himself relax. He didn't want to let his guard down around Dean, didn't want to give him the opportunity to hurt him again - but this was his brother, first and foremost, and Sam hated it when there was any sort of tension between them. Keeping his gaze on a tree in the distance, he stretched his forelegs out in front of him and rested his head between them. 'What do you want from me?' he asked, sounding tired and worn.

 

Dean almost whimpered at the sound of Sam's voice. Instead he shifted a little closer and tentatively rested his chin on the back of Sam's neck. 'I'm sorry,' he murmured. 'I didn't mean to make you think... It's just... It's just hard,' he said finally.

 

Sam resisted the urge to just melt against Dean - he had to maintain some level of control here. 'I know,' he responded softly, resting a paw over Dean's. 'You think this is new for me? It isn't. I've been dealing with this for... Oh, years. It's just more intense now.' He sighed and turned to groom Dean, boundaries be damned. If he was going to start spilling all of his secrets then he was going to feel comfortable in his own skin while he did it.

 

Dean let out a soft whuff of relief before moving to start grooming Sam as well. 'Same,' he admitted softly. A small rumbling started up in his chest-- not quite purring-- as he continued to groom and be groomed by the black panther. He could feel himself relaxing, settling into an easy rhythm. Both man and tiger were enjoying the small break.

Neither panther nor lion spotted the small serval sprinting for the Alpha's room.

Sam huffed and hid his face in Dean's fur. His laughter echoed down their telepathic link. 'Now who's purring, dude?' he teased, pressing closer to Dean and arching into his ministrations. Yeah, he could get used to this.

 

'It's not purring!' Dean protested with a light nip to Sam's shoulder, but he quickly soothed it with his tongue. 'It's... growling friendly-like.'

"What?" Erik roared, glaring at the young girl kneeling before him. She was the serval who'd been tailing Sam and Dean. "You're certain?" he demanded.

She nodded, still not looking up; Omegas weren't very bold. "Certain. The tiger submitted to the panther. He crawled and exposed himself."

Erik pushed himself out of his chair to pace restlessly. "Why would he do that, unless..." Erik stilled. Sam couldn't know he was an Alpha; Erik had convinced him that he was a Beta. "Did you catch the panther's scent?" he snarled, one hand forcing the girl to meet his gaze

He could feel her trembling. "He smelled like he always has!" she squeaked, and Erik let her go with another snarl.

"Keep an eye on them," he ordered.

Over the next week, Sam devoted most of his time to Dean, getting to know him again after a year apart and teaching him the ropes of clan life as a skinwalker. It was becoming increasingly difficult for both of them to ignore Sam's status as an Alpha, but so far they were managing it - so well, in fact, that they had yet to bring up the whole 'mate' issue. At least, not openly. The atmosphere between them seemed to be growing increasingly intimate, and Sam was loving it.  
  
Currently they were taking a break from their clan duties, and were stretched out together outside, soaking up the sun. Dean had been quiet all day, and Sam took the opportunity to swat at him with his tail. 'Penny for your thoughts?' he asked, turning his head where it rested on his forepaws to peer at the tiger beside him.

 

Dean snorted, his nose twitched from where Sam's tail hit it. He yawned, pink tongue curling, before saying, 'You'd save a penny; I wasn't thinking much.' He collapsed back onto his side with a huff, enjoying the feel of the winter sun on his black fur.

The past week had settled into a strangely weird, intimate rhythm. Dean and Sam were rarely far from each other's side, and every night they slept with Sam's head tucked over Dean's back, his head over Sam's.

Dean's ear flicked as something rustled in the grass to his left, but when he heard what sounded like shifting paws, he suddenly sat up, eyes scanning the brush around them, ears pricked to catch any sound.

Sam became aware of the fact that they had company about a second after Dean, and he sat up too, immediately alert and on guard. Likely it was another member of the clan, but it sounded like whoever it was was trying to be stealthy - no one with benign intentions would have a reason to sneak up on them. 'Who's there?' he demanded, moving a few paces toward where the sound had come from, deliberately placing himself between Dean and the stranger.

 

Dean's ears flattened in annoyance and his lip curled back for a second before he heard a startled gasp and the paws scrambling like they were gonna run. With a snarl, he lunged around Sam and plunged into the brush, his teeth fastening in the scruff of a small serval. Omega, from her smell. He pulled her back in front of Sam and then let go of her, moving back enough so he wasn't right on top of her, but ready to grab her again if she tried to run.

 

Sam was too busy trying to squash down the Alpha instincts that were trying to claw their way to the surface to react when Dean pounced, but he certainly approved. Apparently his brother hadn't lost any of his aggression, despite his unwillingness to challenge the Alpha of their clan. Speaking of, Sam thought he recognised the serval before him as an Omega that was particularly close to Erik, and he fought to keep the command out of his voice when he asked, 'Why are you following us?'

 

The serval's eyes flickered from Sam to Dean, her head twisting and her ears flattening in fear before she prostrated herself before Sam. 'Erik told me to,' she whimpered. Dean could smell the fear radiating off of her in waves.

'Why is Erik interested in us?' he demanded, his lips pulling back to bare his teeth in a snarl.

'He didn't tell me!' she yelped, but stayed where she was, every muscle locked in fear.

'Dean,' Sam warned, his golden eyes flashing. Omegas may have been lower down the food chain than Betas, but it wouldn't be a good idea to exert too much authority over her, especially if she was in with Erik. Besides, the way she was submitting to Sam, seemingly by instinct, was making him very uncomfortable. 'It's okay,' he told the serval, tone soothing. 'You were just following orders. But if you could get out of here, that'd be great. My mate and I would like some... privacy.'

 

The serval glanced in fear at Dean, then back at Sam as she slowly rolled herself back to her paws. 'Of course, Alpha,' she murmured, and then stiffened as she realized _who_ she'd just called "Alpha."

Dean stiffened, too, but the serval looked back up at Sam, not in shock, but with relief. 'Oh thank goodness I wasn't imagining it!' she said, and Dean's gaze flicked over her body to meet Sam's, his eyes wide with shock.

Sam tensed, and exchanged a worried glance with Dean before returning his attention to the serval. He thought he could detect relief in her tone but he wasn't taking any chances. 'You're mistaken; I'm not an Alpha,' he insisted as calmly as possible, the way his tail was swishing behind him the only sign of his agitation.

 

She shook her head emphatically, her big ears flopping. 'No, I'm not,' she insisted. 'I know; all the Omegas know. But the way you acted around Erik made us think you were a Beta. But we knew!' The serval was practically vibrating with joy and relief, and Dean felt worry bloom in his gut.

'Sammy,' he said, the worry in his gut flickering through his eyes, 'what do you want to do?'

'I don't know,' Sam answered, trying not to panic. If this girl exposed them to Erik, they were screwed - Sam wasn't anywhere near ready to challenge the clan's Alpha. But if they killed her to keep her quiet, they were equally screwed. 'What do you mean, all the Omegas know?' he demanded, letting a bit of his Alpha command seep into his tone. 'Is this why Erik is taking an interest in us?'

 

'He's known since you first shifted,' she replied. 'And Omegas can always recognize an Alpha, Alphas have a certain scent.' The serval seemed a lot more relaxed now. 'Erik's always taken an interest in you two; you're the two rarest skins. He wants you in this clan.'

Dean moved to stand beside Sam. 'And the rest of the Omegas? How do they feel about this, about how Erik's treated Sam?'

'Erik should die,' she said simply. 'Alphas never try to deny another one access to their powers. If they do, they insure the Alpha they are trying to suppress is stronger than they are.'

Sam sat, perceiving no immediate threat. The Omegas knew. That was half of the clan. His initial reaction had been fear, but if what the serval said was true, he had allies. Omegas by nature were highly unlikely to challenge their Alpha, but maybe they wouldn't resist Sam if he took over. 'What about the Betas?' he asked after a moment, cutting his gaze to Dean. 'Are they loyal to Erik?'

 

Dean looked at Sam, snorting softly. 'I'm not; you know that,' he murmured, rubbing his head under Sam's chin for a moment.

'Yes. But not entirely; they are restless. They don't like that he changed you two. He put the whole clan at risk by doing that.' The serval dipped her head. 'The Omegas will stand by you, if you decide to challenge him.'

Sam purred gratefully, pressing back against Dean in acknowledgement before returning his attention to the serval. 'Thank you,' he said, deeply sincere. Energy and excitement was prickling beneath his skin; maybe he could make a move on Erik sooner than he'd thought. He stood up again, giving Dean a pointed look. 'We need to talk about this, but I appreciate yours and the other Omegas' support. Please don't tell Erik that we know I'm an Alpha; the longer we can keep him in the dark, the better.'

 

'Of course not,' the serval replied. 'My name is Syllia, if you need me.' She dipped her head again before getting to her feet and slipping through the underbrush and out of sight.

Dean waited until she was gone before turning his worried gaze to Sam. 'You're not going to challenge Erik, are you?'

Sam rolled his shoulders restlessly. 'Why not, Dean?' he asked, practically oozing enthusiasm. 'Other members of the clan want him gone, too. Hardly any of them will move to stop me from what Syllia said. He's going to figure out that we know soon - why not strike now while I still have the element of surprise?'

 

Dean got up and paced restlessly. 'Yes, yes, I know, but... But, dammit, Sammy, I don't want you taking the risk! He's older, more experienced than you! You're only a year old!'

 

Sam snorted. 'I've been a hunter my whole life, I haven't just lost all of that since I was turned. I know what I'm doing, and I'm the only one who can do it, Dean! Do you see any more Alphas around? He'll kill us if we don't kill him first. The sooner we do this, the better."

 

Dean kept pacing. 'I know, I know. But... Jesus, Sammy, I can't help but worry. You're my little brother, and it's my job to worry about you.' He sat down a little way from Sam, his shoulders hunched and head bowed.

 

Sam sighed, padding over to Dean and rubbing their cheeks together. 'I know,' he murmured over his rumbling purr. 'But I have to do this. The only reason I haven't so far is because I needed to be strong enough not only to take down Erik but to convince the clan that I'm the more superior Alpha. I don't have to do that now. If I make a move now, the majority of the clan won't just defer to me, they'll support me, and that makes all the difference. I'm strong enough to challenge him and win, Dean. You're not going to lose me to him.'

 

If Dean had been in his human skin, he'd have been worrying his lip with his teeth. 'Still,' he said, leaning into Sam, 'I don't want to take any chance of losing you. And what the hell would you even do, anyway, if you do challenge him and end up beating him? You know you're gonna have to kill him, and the clan needs an Alpha.' His chest tightened at the thought of having to share Sam in any way.

 

'Then I'll take over,' Sam answered, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. He could hear the tension in Dean's tone though and thought he understood, so he clarified, ' _We'll_ take over. Think about it. We could just run, but Erik would hunt us to the ends of the earth and back. We'd never be free. This way, we can get out from under his, um, paw, and keep the rest of the clan safe. They're not bad people, they just have a bad leader.' Sam had been thinking about this for a while, and it was something he honestly wanted - to lead their clan, with Dean at his side.

 

'But what about hunting?' Dean asked, turning to look at Sam. 'We're hunters, Sam. Always have been. It's all we know.'

 

'We know this now, too,' Sam pointed out, a raised eyebrow audible in his tone. 'We could still hunt, there's nothing stopping us, but we can't move with the same freedom as we used to; we can't frequent the same circles. _We're_ the hunted now, Dean. As much as it sucks, the wider hunting community won't see things our way.'

 

'Yeah, believe me, I know,' Dean muttered, tail twitching as he remembered the year he'd spent trying to track down Sam. 'Bobby knows about us. So do Rufus and Ellen and Jo. But other than that... Well. I had several close calls. Had to cut myself with a silver knife so many times that now it barely hurts; enough for me to get by with.'

 

Sam whimpered softly and pressed himself against Dean, not liking the thought of his mate - his _brother_ \- in pain. 'Then we're safer with the clan,' he concluded. 'But only if we're running the show. No one's safe with Erik as Alpha.' It wasn't worth telling Dean that he, too, had built up a resistance to silver during their year apart. With Erik's excessive use of the collar, he hadn't had much of a choice. In light of the recent revelation about Sam's own status, that was actually starting to make a lot more sense.

 

'Why the hell you gotta be so damned smart?' Dean grumbled, butting his head against Sam's shoulder aaffectionately. 'Fine. Then what do we do, Alpha?'

 

A little frisson of affection and, goddammit, arousal skittered through Sam when Dean called him 'Alpha'. It felt good, it felt right, and coming from Dean, it also felt intimate. 'We tell Syllia to warn the Omegas, and what Betas she knows for certain are disloyal, and I make a move on Erik. Tonight.'

 

Dean squashed the quick breath of fear that tried to make its way out of him. He trusted Sam. 'All right. Want me to talk to Syllia? I'm the better tracker.'

 

Sam nodded, and pressed his nose into Dean's fur. He'd never admit it, but he was scared, too. 'Yeah, that'd be good. Thanks.'

 

Dean nodded and gave Sam another quick nuzzle before slipping into the tall grass, finding Syllia's scent easily. It took a little less than fifteen minutes to find her; she hadn't gone too terribly far. 'Syllia,' he said, coming up beside her.

She jumped, but settled back when she saw him, dipping her head in submission. 'Dean,' she said.

'Tell the Omegas and Betas to be ready; Sam will challenge Erik tonight,' he said simply, not looking at her but out, an eye and ear out for anyone else approaching them.

He heard her suck in a breath. 'I will,' she said, her voice a happy kind of breathless.

'Good. No one is to tell Erik; he must be kept in the dark.' Dean turned and slipped back into the tall grass, making his way back to Sam.

Sam looked up when Dean returned, humming a low greeting as he paced over to meet him. 'Everything in place?' he asked, rubbing up against the tiger. Enjoying as much physical contact with his brother as possible seemed important right now, given the direness of the situation. Only one Alpha was going to come out of this alive, and Sam was under no illusions that it would definitely be him.

 

‘Yeah,' Dean said, leaning into Sam. He knew Sam was acting confident about his chances of winning the challenge, but neither of them were under the illusion that Sam would emerge unscathed. 'Sammy,' he murmured, rubbing his cheek against Sam's. His heartbeat was picking up, but he knew it was now or never. 'I love you.'

 

Sam's breath caught in his throat and he closed his eyes, pressing closer, more insistent. It figured that it would take Sam literally walking into the lion's den for Dean to get over himself. 'I love you, too,' he whispered back, feeling his heart rate pick up with anticipation.

 

Dean gently touched his nose to Sam's. 'Do you wanna go back to our room?' he asked softly. 'I don't wanna wait anymore.'

 

Sam felt a rumbling in his chest that wasn't quite a purr and wasn't quite a growl, but rather something in between. God, he wanted that so bad. 'Me neither,' he agreed, arching himself against Dean as he padded past him. They moved as swiftly as they could through the complex without drawing attention to themselves, and when they got back to their room, Sam left the panther at the doorway. "No way are we staying as cats if we're gonna do this," he explained, a light flush staining his skin as he held a hand out to Dean.

 

Dean chuckled before shifting, glad for once that he couldn't keep his clothes after shifting, so whenever he shifted back he was naked. "No kidding," he replied, grinning and taking Sam's hand. "Violent motherfuckers, aren't they?" He let Sam tug him in until they each had their arms around each other, and he waited, face upturned, for Sam to make the next move.

 

God, it felt so good to finally have Dean in his arms like this, their skin pressed together. Despite the fact that he'd grown used to seeing naked people everywhere, this still felt incredibly intimate. Sam looked down into Dean's beautiful green eyes, and hesitated for only a moment before he brought their lips together in a soft kiss.

 

Dean moaned softly and tentatively brought his hands up to tangle in Sam's hair, still a bit uncertain where exactly he and Sam stood here. He gradually deepened the kiss, letting out a small whimper of pleasure when Sam pulled him closer.

 

The moment Sam heard that whimper, he knew that he would never kiss anyone else again. As messed up as it might be, Dean was it for him. He sighed into his brother's mouth, tightening his arms around him as their tongues met. This felt so good, and he had no idea what it meant for either of them, but he had no intentions of stopping.

 

Dean could barely breathe, could barely think. It felt like every last empty place, every last crack, in his being was slowly being filled by Sammy until there was nothing left but a perfect blending of Sam and Dean, so wholly each other's that they were one. Dean whined softly and pressed a little closer, his hands tentatively moving over Sam's chest. "More," he entreated softly.

 

And what could Sam do but oblige? He let his hands travel down Dean's back, learning the expanse of skin that he had only ever touched before when stitching it back together, and gripped his ass. Moaning softly, he pulled them closer together even as he pressed his thigh between Dean's legs.

 

Dean let out a soft gasp and rocked his hips against Sam's thigh, enjoying the friction against his rapidly-hardening cock. "God, Sammy," he breathed, unable to say anything else, one hand travelling down between their bodies to Sam's own cock and hesitantly stroking.

 

"Jesus," Sam hissed, hips jerking as his cock filled in Dean's grasp. The touch burned, but it felt incredible. Groaning in appreciation, Sam broke their kiss in favour of trailing his lips down Dean's throat and sucking a mark into the skin over his pulse point. "Love you," he sighed, hands still kneading the flesh of his brother's ass.

 

Dean smirked in satisfaction, his head tilting back to allow Sam better access to his neck. "Love you too," he murmured, his hand stroking Sam's cock rhythmically. "Want you," he added, flicking his thumb over the slit.

 

Sam hummed in agreement, and allowed his fingers to dip into the cleft of Dean's ass, tracing over his entrance. "Will you let me?" he asked, dragging his lips along Dean's jaw so that he could breathe the words into his ear.

 

Dean nodded, still stroking Sam. "Of course; I'm not going anywhere," he murmured, turning to press his face into Sam's neck, gently licking and nibbling.

 

 _I might be,_ Sam thought, shuddering against Dean. _Isn't that why we're doing this?_ But he didn't say that; instead, he pressed his lips to Dean's temple and stepped back, causing his brother's hand to fall away from his dick. "Get yourself comfy then," he purred, gracing Dean with a slow smile.

 

Dean flushed. "And by that you mean?" he asked as he laid down on the bedding in one side of the room, reclining back on his elbows as he looked up at Sam, licking his lips slowly.

 

"Exactly what I said," Sam responded, following Dean down. They shared a heated kiss before Sam slid down Dean's body, mapping his chest and stomach with his lips until he was between Dean's legs. "No lube," he murmured by way of explanation, before ducking his head and swiping his tongue over Dean's hole.

 

"Oh, Jesus!" Dean yelped, his back arching as he felt Sam's tongue. "Oh God," he moaned, his hips twisting, trying to simultaneously move closer and away. "God, Sammy," he groaned, one hand coming down to tangle in Sam's hair.

 

Sam rubbed Dean's hip reassuringly even as he went to town on his ass, licking around the rim until he was wet and loose before working his tongue inside. His other hand slid up Dean's chest until he could tap on his lips with two fingers. "Suck," he raised his head long enough to growl, before dipping back down between Dean's thighs.

 

Sam's growl sent shivers down Dean's spine, and he was helpless to do anything but what Sam-- his Alpha-- told him to do. He took Sam's fingers in his mouth, suckling and licking, moaning around them as Sam's tongue pressed into his entrance.

 

This was one of the most erotic situations Sam had ever been in, and he couldn't help but moan as he licked Dean out. Once his fingers felt wet enough, he pulled them from between Dean's lips and brought them down, working first one in alongside his tongue, and then two. Sam focused on stretching Dean open and then crooked his fingers, rubbing, pressing, searching...

 

Dean cried out, his back arching, as Sam's fingers pressed against something inside of him that sent bolts of pleasure shooting through his body. "Oh God, Sammy," he said breathlessly. "Please, please..." He didn't know what he was begging for, had no clue, just knew that he'd never felt this way before, never felt like he was in danger of spontaneously combusting from pleasure.

 

Sam kept it up for a little while longer, but eventually he just couldn't wait anymore. They were on an unknown time schedule, but more than that, he was harder than he could ever remember being. Withdrawing his fingers from Dean's body, Sam leaned up and kissed him, heedless of where his mouth had just been. "Are you ready?" he panted, hips jerking against the bedding at the thought of what was to come next.

 

"Dude, seriously, you just had your tongue up my ass," Dean bitched half-heartedly, but he nodded, his hands coming up to Sammy's shoulders. "Hands and knees, or like this?" he asked.

 

You've probably had your tongue in worse places today," Sam was quick to point out, kissing Dean again just to be contrary before drawing back. The answer to Dean's question was easy. "Like this," he murmured, dragging his lips down Dean's jaw. "I want to see you."

 

Dean stuck his tongue out at Sam before nodding and wrapping his legs around Sam's hips. "Wanna see you, too," he murmured, pulling Sam down for another kiss.

 

Sam kissed back even as he shifted his hips and reached down between them to position himself at Dean's entrance. His lips fell open as he began to press inside, and he panted helplessly into Dean's mouth. The heat was incredible, as was how tight his brother was. "Oh God, Dean," Sam whimpered, overwhelmed and yet desperate for more all at once.

 

Dean forced himself to relax, gasping back the tears pricking at his eyes. It burned, but the farther Sam sunk into him, the less he noticed the burn and the more he noticed the pleasure. When Sam was finally fully seated, they stayed still for a moment before Dean gently pulled Sam down so he could kiss his little brother-- mate. "Mine," he whispered against Sam's lips.

 

"Yours," Sam agreed, breathless, and it was true. Even before they'd gotten into this mess, Sam had always been Dean's. His little brother, his partner, his harshest critic and his biggest fan. Even during his time in Stanford, there had been a part of Sam that belonged to Dean. Now, he supposed, he knew why. He was Dean's mate.  
  
A possessive growl rose up from somewhere deep within him and spilled from his lips before he had time to stop it, just as Sam began to move. He kept his thrusts slow at first, careful not to hurt Dean, but when it became apparent that he could take it he put his back into it, driving into him with deep, purposeful strokes. Dean felt incredible around him, and as much as Sam might want it to, this wasn't going to last long.

 

Dean arched into Sam's touch, his hips bucking up to meet Sam's thrusts, little gasps and whimpers escaping his mouth whenever Sam's cock stroked over that sensitive bundle of nerves inside of him. He could feel himself getting closer, and he whimpered Sam's name, his fingers dipping into Sam's shoulder blades as he held onto the only thing-- the only person-- that had ever kept him sane.

 

Sam could feel how close Dean was in the urgency of the hands on his back and the tightening of the muscles around him. Raising himself up on one arm, he worked a hand between them to stroke Dean's cock in time with his thrusts. "Let go," he encouraged as he brought their lips together, soft and just a little desperate. "Just let go, baby."

 

Dean whined, kissing Sam back desperately as his back arched and he felt like he was shattering, being scattered to the wind. Distantly he was aware of Sam thrusting into him, and the mess he'd made on his stomach. He couldn't bring himself to feel embarrassed, though, not when he was with Sam.

 

It was seeing Dean's face as he fell apart that did it for Sam, and he completely lost his rhythm as he thrust into Dean a few more times before he came hard with a strangled moan. Once the waves of intense pleasure eased off enough to allow brain function, Sam carefully pulled out of Dean in favour of rolling to the side and gathering him into his arms, pressing a soft kiss to his temple. "Dean," he panted, chest heaving. "God, I love you."

 

Dean sighed and nuzzled closer, tucking his head under Sam's chin. "I love you, too," he murmured. He could feel sleep starting to take him, but he tried to resist, wanting to savor the moment, unsure if he'd get many more.

 

Sam was of the same mindset, but he knew they couldn't think like that. This thing between them was forever, and now more than ever Sam was determined to win the fight with Erik, if only so that he could return to Dean. "Sleep," he murmured, stroking a hand through Dean's hair. "We've got all the time in the world." Sam just hoped it was true.

 

Dean could hear the faint undercurrent of uncertainty in Sam's tone, but he didn't say anything, just wrapped himself more securely around Sam before falling asleep.

It was sunset by the time he woke, and he could hear other skinwalkers moving around, mainly to the main room for a quick meal before either sleeping or night watch, depending on the skinwalker. Sam was still sleeping beside him, and he gently laid a kiss on Sam's chest before prodding his mate awake. "C'mon, Sammy," he murmured softly. "Time to get up."

Sam groaned, batting at Dean as he rolled over onto his stomach to bury his face in the thin pillow. It smelled of Dean. When he raised his head, there was a soft look in his wide eyes, one that spoke of love but also resignation. "Is it time?" he asked, reaching out to catch Dean's hand and bringing it to his lips.

 

Dean smiled, the smile tainted with just a hint of sadness, and nodded. "It's time," he replied, moving his hand so it was cupping Sam's cheek. "Now or never."

 

Sam leaned into Dean's touch, returning his sad smile with one of his own. He sat up then, and pulled Dean in for a passionate, desperate kiss. If this was the last kiss he would get to share with his mate, he was going to make it good.  
  
When, at last, they had to part for air, Sam's lips were red and swollen and pulled down at the corners. He was scared, and as much as he might want to, he could never hide that from Dean. "Lead the way," he whispered, ignoring the slight tremor to his voice.

 

Dean nodded, pulling Sam in for another kiss, gently kissing each corner of Sam's mouth and his eyelids before pulling back and shifting to the tiger, waiting for Sam to shift before leading the way to the main hall.

Erik raised his head, feeling the Alpha in his lion reacting to the proximity of another Alpha, as the tiger and panther entered, their scents almost identical. 'So,' he sneered. 'You two finally consummated the bond.'

Sam's ears flattened against his head in irritation as he and Dean took their place among the other Betas. 'I don't think that's any of your business, do you?' he answered, not quite snarling but almost. At this stage he was just testing the waters, trying to see how far he could push Erik before he snapped.

 

Dean almost said something, but catching Syllia's eye, he said nothing, only standing defiantly on Sam's right, the place the second in charge would take next to his Alpha.

Erik's amber eyes narrowed and his tail slowly moved from side to side as he studied the Winchesters. The Alpha scent was stronger than ever from the younger, and Erik felt a prickle of unease as he saw all of the Omegas subtly shifting to stand behind Sam. 'Watch your tone, _Beta_ ,' he hissed.

'I would,' Sam responded, hackles raising. One last glance at Dean, and he was ready. He stepped forward, separating himself from the rest of the group, and bared his teeth. 'But I'm not a Beta. I'm an Alpha, and I'm challenging you for the leadership of this clan.'

 

Erik supposed he should have seen this day coming. Sam would one day realize who he really was. 'Then I accept your challenge,' he snarled, crouching down. 'May the best Alpha win.'

As the lion and panther began circling each other, Dean drew back to stand with the other Betas. He watched anxiously, but made no sound; he would not be the cause of Sam losing this fight.

Erik had less patience, and he lunged first, heading straight for Sam's throat.

Sam rolled to the side, avoiding Erik's teeth by mere inches, and recovered his position quickly. He was a cautious fighter by nature, but it seemed that he wasn't going to have a choice here. If Erik was going to be the aggressive one in this fight, he was sure to win - and that wasn't an option. They fell back, circling each other again, but this time it was Sam who lunged.

 

Erik snarled and lunged at Sam at the same time. The two cats met midair, snarling furiously. Erik's bulk drove the younger cat back, but he wasn't as nimble as the panther, who ducked around and lunged onto his hindquarters, claws digging in. Erik yowled and bucked and twisted, managing to throw Sam off.

As the two cats battled, Dean fought back whimpers every time Sam took a blow from Erik. He silently snarled at one of the Betas who moved too close to the fight. If anyone was going to enter this fight, it would be him.

Eventually Sam managed to wear Erik down, and he circled the lion, looking for an opening. Erik was weary, his paws starting to slow, strike less furiously. After a moment, Erik exposed himself long enough for Sam to lunge and fasten his jaws around the lion's neck, clenching and wrenching furiously. He felt blood spill into his mouth, and he fought the urge to gag; this was nothing at all like hunting. He felt no satisfaction as Erik's struggles grew feebler, and finally stopped. Still, he did not release the lion's neck.

Dean leaped forward, gently shouldering Sam. 'It's done,' he murmured. 'You won; you're the new Alpha.'

As Sam looked up, blinking slowly, the Betas and Omegas all dipped their head to him, acknowledging him as the new clan leader.

Sam let Erik's throat slip from between his teeth, and he turned to look at Dean, golden eyes wide. 'Fuck,' he hissed, and pressed his face into his mate's fur. His body was aching all over, and he was pretty sure he was bleeding from somewhere, but most of all he was relieved. And exhausted. 'I don't have to make a speech, do I?' he asked, but there was amusement in his tone. He'd done it; he'd won.

 

Syllia stepped forward, her small paws moving daintily, avoiding the blood. 'You do not need to say anything right now; we all knew you would win.' She turned and nodded to Dean. 'Take your mate and get him taken care of.'

Dean nodded gratefully, and gently nudged Sam to his feet. 'C'mon, let's go to our room; I want to make sure you're okay,' he murmured.

'M'fine,' Sam insisted as he got up, but even the voice inside his head was slurred. Maybe not then. He didn't try to say anything else as they walked through the members of their clan, who parted to let them pass but didn't speak, heads still bowed in respect. Sam made it most of the way, but stumbled just before they got to their room and had to drag himself inside. 'Dean...' he whined, even as his legs buckled and he hit the ground hard. Fuck.

 

Dean whined softly and managed to drag Sam over to the bedding and arrange him so Dean could inspect him for injuries. He had several deep scratches and bites on his flanks, and Dean licked them clean before curling up next to Sam, resting his head on the back of Sam's neck. 'Sleep,' he murmured. 'I'll keep watch.'

A little while later, Dean saw a Beta come in. 'Sir? What do we do about watches tonight?' The Beta was looking to Dean to answer, and he thought for a moment.

'Erik's body is taken care of?' he asked. When the Beta nodded, Dean said, 'Normal watches, until further notice.' The Beta dipped his head respectfully and backed out of the room.

Sam slept for hours, maybe even days, and when he finally woke he felt significantly less groggy, but still sore. There was a warm weight behind him, and he knew it was Dean, providing bone-deep comfort with just his presence alone. Sam would have purred, but he had a feeling it might hurt.   
  
'I had a dream that it was all over,' he said softly when a hitch in Dean's breathing told him that his mate was awake, too. 'Was it real?'

 

Dean snuffled slightly as he woke up fully. He yawned, and rubbed his cheek against Sam's. 'It is,' he said, his voice relieved. 'Erik's dead, and you're the Alpha of the clan now.'

 

Sam sighed, also relieved, and returned the pressure against Dean's cheek. 'How long was I out?' he wondered. 'Do I have to do anything?'

 

'You were out a few days. Though honestly I'm surprised you weren't out longer. Those were some nasty wounds.' Dean yawned. 'Sorry, I've been up, keeping watch over you and making sure no one disturbed you. And I don't think you have to do anything; Syllia's explained to the others what's been going on, and they all know you from when you thought you were a Beta. They know you'll make a good Alpha. And apprently I'm your second-in-command since I'm your mate.'

'Of course you are,' Sam answered, a smile in his tone. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.' He stretched, winced, and carefully got up, moving around until he was the one with his head resting on the back of the tiger's neck. As much as he appreciated Dean's watch over him, Sam was the Alpha here, and it was his turn to look after his mate. 'I told you I'd come back to you,' he murmured as he settled down to groom Dean. 'Go to sleep; you've earned it.'

 

Dean slowly felt exhaustion overtaking him, and he closed his eyes. 'I never doubted you'd come back,' he murmured. 'I love you.'

The next few weeks or so were kind of surreal. Sam had to take over the leadership of the clan, which came along with a whole load of duties that he really hadn't been expecting. As Sam's mate, Dean had a new set of responsibilities too - but they both settled into their new roles as well as they could, and considering that the rest of the clan welcomed the removal of Erik as Alpha, they were given the support they needed while they got comfortable.   
  
Once they were comfortable, they mixed things up a little bit. Even under Erik's rule, the clan had not been a particularly aggressive one, so there had been no need to forbid them from harming humans or suchlike. The few Betas who had supported Erik had to be brought into line, but that wasn't too difficult - no Betas would dare challenge the clan's Alpha, after all. The Omegas were encouraged to take on a less submissive role, but not so much that it upset the hierarchy the clan depended on or forced them to act against their nature. The Betas remained the clan's protectors, and Sam and Dean were even starting to discuss bringing some of them in when a local hunt cropped up, as it inevitably would.   
  
Right now, though, Sam was exhausted. After spending two hours in deep discussion with a couple of Betas and Syllia, who had become a sort of advisor-slash-secretary, about food supplies, he was more than ready to turn in for the night. The only problem with that was that Dean was on watch tonight, and the pull in his chest that he'd finally realised meant they were fated to be together refused to let him sleep when his mate wasn't there. With a smile and a gentle "thanks" for Syllia, Sam shifted his form and padded his way quickly through the complex. He purred when he found his tiger.  
  
'Hey there,' he murmured, coming up beside Dean and rubbing their cheeks together. 'How's it going? I missed you.'

 

‘Hey,' Dean rumbled, rubbing back against Sam. 'We've only been apart for a couple of hours, but I'm doing fine,' he added, his tone amused. The past month and a half had been tough while he and Sam became used to their new positions as the two most powerful skinwalkers in the clan. He glanced out over the field that led to the woods. 'I need to contact Bobby soon,' he murmured, settling back into his watchful crouch.

'Yeah,' Sam agreed, sounding vaguely surprised. His tail began a lazy swish back and forth, but his eyes were sweeping the land stretching out ahead of them just like Dean's were. 'It's been forever since you got here, he's probably freaking out.' He cut his gaze to Dean then, fur bristling as a thought occurred to him. They'd talked about it a little; Sam knew that Bobby was aware of their change in species, but... 'Does he know? About us?'

 

Dean looked at Sam quizzically for a moment before he remembered that, hello, they were brothers, not just mates. 'Oh,' he said. 'Yeah, he had his suspicions. Brought it up before I came here, and he sounded like he'd be okay with it. Not that he'd have much choice,' Dean added. He swept his tail over Sam's shoulder comfortingly. 'I'll go see if I can find him or get a cell signal tomorrow,' he said. 'Tonight, though... I get off this shift in a little bit.'

 

Sam's eyes flashed and his ears perked up in interest, even as he shuffled closer to Dean, pressing against him. 'Is that a fact?' he asked, feeling a low, rumbling purr start up in his chest. 'Suddenly I'm not so tired anymore.'

 

Dean laughed lightly and flicked his tail against Sam's flank. 'It is a fact,' he promised. 'But you'll still have to wait until my shift is over.' A purr started up in his own chest, and he rubbed his cheek against Sam's. 'I love you,' he said. He'd never get tired of saying it.

 

Sam might have accused Dean of behaving like a girl for all these displays of affection, except that he loved receiving them as much as Dean loved giving them. For the first time in their lives it was acceptable to be this way with each other and Sam would cut his own tail off before he said anything that might put a stop to it. 'I love you, too,' he murmured, sighing happily. 'Now come on. I'm the Alpha and I say you can come to bed.'

 

'And I'm second-in-command and say someone needs to be on guard here,' Dean countered. But he followed Sam back to their room, gesturing for the Beta who was set to take his place to start his shift a little bit early.  The Beta doesn't say anything, just dips his head, but Dean still gets the impression of a snicker. He just rolls his eyes; not like everyone here doesn't know that Dean and Sam haven't had much alone time in the past several weeks.

 

Funnily enough, the evening after they spoke about Bobby, Bobby appeared. Speak of the Devil and all that. Sam and Dean were going over the next week's night watch rota, their tails casually linked behind them, when a Beta came rushing in on two legs, flushed and panting. Both the Alpha and his mate rose immediately. 'What's going on?' Sam demanded.  
  
"Alpha, we found an intruder, drove almost straight up to our doors. The bastard had a gun; silver bullets. He took a shot at Kenny. Missed though."  
  
Sam bared his teeth. He made sure his clan kept out of the limelight; no hunter had the right or the reason to come onto their land and start discharging weapons. 'Have you got him?'  
  
"Yes. Patrol picked him up. What do you want us to do with him?"  
  
'Bring him here.' Erik would have ordered the stranger to be killed without so much as a glance in his direction, but that wasn't the way they did things now. If this was a hunter, Sam wanted to explain the situation, to give him the opportunity to understand that their clan was no threat and walk away.  
  
A group of Betas came into the room and forced a man in a familiar-looking cap to his knees before Sam and Dean, while a jaguar and a cougar hovered close by, ready to rip into his throat if he moved against their leaders. Sam took one look at the man and snarled, 'Release him!' In the split second of hesitation from the Betas, Sam shifted to his human form, hauled the kneeling man to his feet and, uncaring for his own nudity, embraced him.  
  
"Hey, Bobby!"

 

Dean shifted a heartbeat after his mate, and then Bobby was grunting as he was enveloped in the arms of two naked Winchesters. "Hey, yourselves, idjits," he said gruffly. He glanced down, but didn't get any farther than Sam's chest before flushing slightly and exclaiming, "Holy hell, don't you two know what clothes are?"

Dean leveled a stare at the jaguar as she began growling. After she'd subsided, Dean looked at Bobby, crossing his arms over his chest. "And don't you know better than to go into a _known_ clan lair, full of skinwalkers, and then take a potshot at one of them?" he retorted.

Bobby had the good grace to look uncomfortable about that. "Well, I didn't know if you two were still alive; it's been almost two months since Dean came to find you, Sam."  
  
Dean laughed, shaking his head in resignation. "I was going to go find you, was gonna leave right after we finished hammering out the details to this week's watch." He studied Bobby for a moment. "Something else is bringing you here, not just concern about us."

Bobby nodded. "I don't... Do they know who you two are? Or, er, who you used to be?" he asked, shifting on his feet uncomfortably.

 

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they know. The previous Alpha all but shouted it from the rooftops." All the same, he turned to the Betas in the room and told them to leave. "This man is our friend," he insisted when they looked skeptical "He's not a threat and he's _not_ food. Will you please get out of here?" Despite the polite nature of the request, his voice was filled with his Alpha authority, and they knew better than to question him; before long, Bobby and the Winchesters were alone.  
  
Sam was quick to find them chairs and sat beside Dean, their knees touching. He didn't make any move to find clothes although he did produce a blanket to drape over both of their laps, for Bobby's sake. "So," he began after a moment of awkward silence, "what's going on, Bobby?"

 

"For starters, I've had to fend off questions about where you two idjits went," Bobby said. His voice was dry, so he wasn't all that irritated about it. "Secondly, I see I was right, that you two are mates." Dean laughed at that, leave it to Bobby to get straight to the potentially-most-uncomfortable topic. "And thirdly, there's a local job that you two might want to handle."

Dean straightened at the mention of a job. "Bobby, we run the clan now. Sam's Alpha, and I'm the second-in-command. We can't just up and leave."

"I said 'local,' didn't I?" Bobby retorted. "What happened to Erik?"

"Sam challenged and killed him, and what do you mean by 'local'?" Dean asked.

"Well, good riddance. And I mean 'next town over' local. Just a salt and burn, except that it's not just one; it's several. Several ghosts are haunting this place, but I can't find the bodies. They're not in the graveyard, and there's no mention of where they could be buried." Dean glanced over at Sam, waiting for his input.

 

Sam shared Dean's glance, and knew the answer immediately. They would never be out of the hunting game, not really, and they couldn't leave people so close to them to suffer. "We'll take it," he agreed. "We could bring some of the Betas in on it, get their help?" He turned to Bobby then. "What else do you know?"

 

"Managed to find out the gardener-- why the hell is it always the gardener or the butler?-- was arrested for over seventeen murders. Ten of the bodies were found, all cremated. Seven went unaccounted for, and there's seven ghosts at the old mansion. Gardener himself was also cremated, so I doubt he's hanging around." Bobby looked at them curiously. "Did you say you might bring the Betas in? What the hell's a Beta?"

Dean exchanged glances with Sam. "I'm a Beta; they're the middle-strength skinwalkers. Omegas are the weakest, Alphas the strongest." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, absently draping one arm across the back of Sam's chair. "I don't think we should bring the Betas on this one; I'm betting the guy buried 'em all in one spot, should be easy enough for us to sniff 'em out."

"Sniff 'em... Oh. Right. Super senses. I keep forgetting that you two... Jesus. I still can't bring myself to believe it, sometimes," Bobby says, laughing weakly.

Sam smiled almost apologetically at Bobby, and took Dean's hand where it was resting on the chair just behind his shoulder. "Yeah, it took us some getting used to, believe me." He looked pointedly at Dean; it wasn't just the change from human to skinwalker that they'd had difficulty with, but the change that meant for their relationship. "We worked it out, though. This is where we belong."  
  
After a moment's consideration, Sam nodded, letting out a breath. "You're right," he said to Dean, and gave his fingers a squeeze. "We'll have to start bringing the Betas in eventually, but we can handle this ourselves. Probably best we take a couple on our own first anyway; let them get used to the idea."

 

Dean huffed out a laugh. "Syllia's gonna tie herself into knots," he snickered. "We'll need a temporary leader, though. Maybe Shamus and Syllia could work together?" he suggested thoughtfully. The Omega serval and her cheetah mate-- a Beta-- were a good team, both of them were level-headed, smart, and well-respected within the clan. "Just until we return," he added, idly stroking Sam's hand with his thumb, leaning against Sam's side.

Bobby watched the way the two brothers-- hell, he supposed he should be calling them "mates" now-- interacted. It was easy between them, he could see. Knowing them, it hadn't been easy getting there, but now they were, and they were comfortable with each other. He supposed he shouldn't be shocked by the realization that he was glad they were mates with each other, because no one else could understand them the way they understood each other. Not even Bobby.

Sam hummed and allowed himself to relax into Dean's touch. Their relationship was likely a lot more equal than most skinwalkers', largely because while Sam was the Alpha, Dean was the big brother. Their acceptance of their feelings for each other had certainly gone a long way toward evening the playing field out for them; Sam still relied on Dean for support and protection, but now Dean also felt comfortable relying on Sam for the same. It was really nice.   
  
Abruptly realising that he had been asked a question, Sam cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. Shamus and Syllia would be a good choice. Syllia especially will love it." As an Omega, the serval had been continuously going out of her way to prove that she was just as good as any Beta, even long after Sam and Dean, and most of the clan, had accepted it. Grinning, Sam turned to Bobby. "So do you think it'd be okay if you didn't shoot at the members of our clan anymore? And maybe spread the word to other hunters? We're not a threat; Dean and I saw to that when we first took control."

 

Bobby had the decency to flush and look embarrassed. "Sorry 'bout that. But the guy jumped right for my truck as soon as I stepped out, and all those years of hunting don't just go away," he explained sheepishly.

Dean laughed. "Well, we really aren't a threat. No desire for human flesh, or anything like that. We hunt the forest, or go into town and actually buy our food. We're not complete heathens; a couple of the Betas have actual jobs, and some of the Omegas are really good with computers. Besides, with me and Sam here, no one would even think about trying to bring a human home for dinner, or even dining out on one. They all saw Sam's fight with Erik." Dean looked at his mate with a flash of pride before saying, "So, I'll go tell Syllia that she and Shamus just got temporarily promoted, and then Sam and I just need to grab some clothes and grab the Impala." He stood up and shifted easily to tiger. 'Oh, Sam,' he added. 'Have one of the Omegas check the pressure in the tires; I thought they were a bit low after last time.'

Bobby watched the black tiger leave, and then he cleared his throat and looked back to Sam. "So," he began. "What do you turn into? Leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or another tiger?"

"Actually, I'm a panther," Sam answered with an easy smile. "Apparently Dean and I take the most rare forms. Dean's the rarest, naturally." His voice as he said this took on all of the admiration he felt for his beautiful mate, but he managed to snap himself out if it before his smile became too dreamy. "I'll be right back, okay?" he promised, wrapping the blanket around himself so that Bobby's eyes didn't burn out of his skull while he went to relay Dean's request to a nearby Omega. He returned quickly.  
  
"I'm sorry we left you in the lurch," he mumbled as he sat down again. "We were kind of prisoners for a while and then, well, things got a little crazy after we took over the clan. It's so much; it's like becoming the parents of a whole community." Sam grinned as he thought about this. "We love it though," he continued, sounding as content as he felt. "We love them."

 

"And each other," Bobby can't resist adding. "Can't say I didn't see that one coming from a hundred miles off, though," he added thoughtfully. He shrugged once. "Well. Not like you're hurting anyone; quite the opposite. And you two... Well. If I have to call any skinwalkers friends or hell, family-- and there's something I never thought id say-- then I'm glad it's you two."

Dean managed to track down Syllia and Shamus where they were arguing good-naturedly about something. When he told them that he and Sam were leaving them in charge, Syllia nearly tackled him herself before remembering that while Dean and Sam treat her like equals, she is still an Omega. Dean gives her an affectionate glance, and then tells them that he and Sam are leaving soon before turning and making his way back to the main room. He padded inside, and made his way over to Sam's side, sitting down next to his mate's chair. He blinked brilliant green eyes slowly at Bobby before turning to Sam. 'Syllia's over the moon,' he said, hesitantly letting his thought trail out to include Bobby.

It was just a faint whisper, but holy fucking _hell_ was that Dean's voice in his head? Bobby stared, open-mouthed, at the tiger and man sitting before him.

Sam knew exactly what Dean had done and he laughed. "That's how we communicate when we're cats," he explained, loving the look on Bobby's face. "It's the same as normal speech for a skinwalker, anyone close enough can hear it, but we can open it up to humans if we need to. Or," he added, tone affectionate as he sifted his fingers through Dean's soft fur, "if we're being assholes."

 

Dean rumbled playfully, pushing himself into Sam's hand. 'C'mon, Sammy, let's go grab some clothes and get the car,' he said, keeping the link open so Bobby could still hear him as he gently took Sam's hand in his teeth and tugged.

 

Sam smiled and stood, keeping the blanket in place around his middle long enough to shift into the panther. He reached out to Bobby with his psychic link before he spoke. 'We won't be long; if you need anything, just ask someone.' With an amicable flick of his tail in Bobby's direction, Sam followed Dean from the room.

 

It only took a moment for Sam and Dean to grab their clothes and for Dean to grab his pistol-- he couldn't rely on being able to shift in the middle of a hunt. As they strode down the halls to where the Impala was stored, Dean suddenly laughed. "You know, I never thought i'd say this, but I actually _like_ being a skinwalker-slash-hunter. I feel more alive than I ever did before."

 

Sam snorted and bumped Dean's shoulder with his own. "That's because you finally had to accept the fact that you're nothing but a great big pussycat," he teased, grinning as he popped the passenger door and slid into the Impala. He understood what Dean meant, though. Being a skinwalker had opened up so many doors to them: it had heightened their senses and improved their reflexes; given them the freedom and exhilaration of being able to escape into a body that was lean and fast and pretty much immune to the complications a human psyche could pose; and it had let them experience things from the other side and realise that not everything superhuman, supernatural, had to be evil.  
  
But it was more than that. This change had pushed them together, had allowed them to give into what they wanted and had given them each other. That, at least to Sam, was the most important part. He knew that if they'd stayed human, the chances of Dean agreeing to a relationship with him would have been slim to none. So maybe Sam hated Erik, but he was also grateful to him. Without that bastard of an Alpha, he wouldn't have his mate. 

 

Dean stuck his tongue out at Sam as he slid into the driver's side, turning the Impala on then digging around and popping one of his tapes in. "Only bad thing is we've gotta be careful, keep an extra eye out for hunters, now," he said as he pulled around front and then followed Bobby's truck away from the lair. "Since we're skinwalkers, don't matter if we don't hunt humans to most people; they're gonna shoot first and ask questions later."

 

"I know," Sam murmured sadly, shuffling around until he was leaning more comfortably against the car door. "We got lucky with Bobby. I shudder to think how even Dad would have reacted."  
  
It felt weird, wearing clothes, sitting in the Impala, going on a hunt - like something from a past life. That didn't make it bad, though. Hunting would always be a part of their lives and Sam had long since accepted that, but it wasn't the main feature anymore. The strange sense of deja vu just proved that. He and Dean may have to venture into this world from time to time, but they had a home now.

 

Dean snorted in agreement. "No way in hell would Dad have handled it well," he said.

It took a couple of hours for the two cars to make it to the town Bobby had found the ghosts in, and another hour to make it to the building. "Oh, Jesus," Dean muttered. "Like that isn't every horror movie cliche rolled into one." The building in front of them was an old, run-down Victorian mansion, the windows boarded up, shutters falling off, holes in the roof, and the porch had a decided list.

"The Victrolian Inn," Bobby announced getting out of his truck.

Sam got out of the car and moved to stand beside Dean, looking up at the inn with some trepidation. "Great," he sighed, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat. "This is gonna be fun. Where do you want to start?"

 

Dean eyed what bit of the property he could see assessingly. "I'll shift," he decided. "It'll be easier to see if he's buried the bodies outside rather than stuck 'em somewhere inside." He glanced over at Sam for confirmation.

"It'll be hard, even for you two," Bobby warned. "Place has been abandoned since the gardener was convicted, back in 1903."

Sam looked around, considering. "Why don't we both shift?" he suggested. "That way there's no room for mistakes. I don't want to go into that house unless I have to. Who knows how many heavy antiques there are for the ghosts to throw at our heads?"

 

"Good idea," Dean said, stripping and shifting. Clothes had felt  _way_ weird, and it was almost a relief to slip back into the tiger's skin and mindset. He could feel his excitement growing; this was going to be his most difficult hunt with the tiger yet.

 

Bobby watched his two boys strip and shift, and he shook his head. "Jesus, I still can't wrap my mind around it. All right," he said, consulting a map of the grounds, squatting down so the two cats could see it as well, "the gardener said no one ever went to these areas, so you might want to concentrate there. But he was completely off his rocker, so he might just be making it up."

 

'Got it,' Dean said, bunching his muscles and bounding off before slowing and letting the scents and sounds of the property wash over him.

 

Sam followed, already enjoying the challenge. He took a slightly different route to Dean so as to cover more ground in less time, but it soon became apparent that Bobby was right. The garden of the property was pretty overgrown, and nothing that had been buried over a hundred years ago, even seven dead bodies, was going to be sniffed out easily. 'Have you got anything yet?' Sam called to Dean as he dismissed a long-dead rabbit that had, for about five seconds, smelled promising. This was going to be harder than he'd thought. 

 

'Not yet,' Dean called back. As he made a pass under an open window, he almost dismissed the scent of decay coming from inside the house as a dead cat or something like that. But when he caught a trace of something... strangely powerful, he froze and backtracked. He raised his head, inhaling deeply. Definitely not a dead cat. 'Sam, Bobby, c'mere.'

 

Sam abandoned his search and paced over to Dean, hesitating a few steps away from the window. It fucking reeked. 'What is it?' he asked, not curious enough to investigate for himself just yet.

 

Dean could feel his hackles rising. 'I don't know. Whatever it is, it's dangerous.'

Bobby jogged over, stopping when he saw the two skinwalkers staring intently at an open window. He'd caught their conversation, but he didn't smell or sense anything. "What is it?" he asked, glancing down at the black tiger.

'Don't know,' Dean repeated, not tearing his gaze from the window. 'Reeks, and there's something... more.'

"And that's always a good thing," Bobby muttered, tugging his cap down a little more securely. "I don't feel anything, though."

'Being a cat comes in handy sometimes,' Sam responded, his tail flicking back and forth in agitation. Dean was right; whatever they could smell was definitely out of the ordinary, and wasn't to be dismissed. He sighed. 'We're gonna have to go in there, aren't we?'

 

'Looks like it,' Dean replied grimly. He glanced over at Bobby. 'Go around front, be ready to come in if we call,' he instructed the hunter. Bobby looked like he was going to argue, but Dean simply bunched his muscles and leaped through the broken window, easily slamming through the boards that were nailed over it haphazardly.

 

He waited until he heard Sam follow him before moving. 'Jesus, you can tell no one's been in here for almost a century,' Dean griped, wrinkling his nose distastefully. He carefully padded around spider web-covered furniture, his nose turned up into the air. 'It's getting stronger,' he commented as he followed the disgusting scent of decay and whatever it was that was sending shivers down Dean's spine, making the fur on the back of his neck rise as he got closer to the kitchen. He shouldered through a door, and almost choked on the scent of rot, mildew, and just overall age coming up the stairwell.

 

'Think this is the basement,' he said, shaking his head to try to clear it.

 

If Sam had been human at that point, he would have lost his dinner. As it turned out, while the panther may have a stronger sense of smell, it also had a stronger stomach. Sam was immensely grateful.   
  
'Do you want to call for Bobby?' he asked as he drew up beside Dean, peering into the gloom that disappeared into darkness at the bottom of the stairs. 'We haven't got any weapons if things start to get freaky.'

 

Dean hesitated, tasting the air. 'Not just yet,' he decided. 'I think we can at least find the bodies before calling him in.' Giving his eyes a moment to adjust, Dean led the way into the basement, wary of making any excess noise.

Dean reflected briefly on how glad he was that tigers had much more excellent eyesight than he originally thought, but then froze, a growl rumbling in his throat as he drew near a section of the far wall. He couldn't make anything out, but there was an unmistakable air of malevolence almost physically emanating from the wall. 'Now we should call Bobby,' Dean said, not taking his eyes from the wall.

With a quick glance at Dean, Sam hurried back up the stairs to the kitchen and yowled for Bobby. When he returned to the tiger's side, his green gaze was still fixed on the wall, and Sam followed it. Whatever they could feel, it was strong and dangerous; it had the panther's ears flat to its head, hackles raised and growling low and deep out of pure instinct. Sam himself was definitely uneasy, and on guard. 'What the hell are we dealing with?' he asked softly, speaking to himself as much as Dean. He had a feeling that his brother wouldn't have any answers either. 

 

'I don't know,' Dean rumbled. He was dimly aware of Bobby's approaching footsteps, and he almost hissed at the bright beam of the flashlight.

"Jesus," Bobby gasped, taking in the sigils carved into the wall behind the peeling wallpaper. He carefully removed the few remaining pieces, and then took a step back. "Jesus," he repeated. "Fuck. Blood magic's tying them here."

Dean growled. He'd heard of blood magic. 'Great. Which means they're bound to his last command. And they'll fight without stopping.'

"Yep," Bobby said, digging through his duffel. "Glad I came prepared."

Despite his trepidation, Sam's interest piqued. Blood magic was something that had always intrigued him, but that was nigh on impossible to research accurately. He'd asked Bobby one time before Stanford for any material he had on the subject and Bobby had laughed him out of the room. Sam still didn't know if that was because the information was really that scarce or because Bobby thought he was too young to be looking into it - although now he supposed he had his answer.  
  
'What do we do?' he asked curiously, barely resisting the urge to go over and sniff at Bobby's bag. The older hunter got pissed when Sam did that as a human - he'd probably freak about giant cat hairs getting into his ritually-slaughtered lamb's blood or something if he did it as a panther.

 

“Preferably? Get the hell out of here,” Bobby said, pulling out various items and starting to mix them, muttering under his breath. “But we can’t do that; these ghosts have started to go poltergeist, and there’s seven of them, so they’re exceptionally dangerous.” He straightened, holding the bowl in his hands. “Dean, get the door. It’s weight oriented; just throw your weight against the wall.”

 

Dean nodded, and before Sam could say anything, he launched himself against the wall, crashing into it with his shoulder. It was enough to send the wall swinging inward, and reveal that the smell that had been coming from the wall before was definitely muted. This was strong enough to almost turn the tiger’s stomach. Dean leaped out of the way as Bobby lunged forward, shouting out some word that Dean couldn’t make out—sounded like something Arabic, though—and throwing his mixture into the hole, over the bodies. Dean froze, ears pricked, claws unsheathed, ready to lunge. After a few moments, Bobby blew out a breath. “Okay. That’s holding them for now. Just gotta salt and burn the bodies.” He pulled out a can of gasoline and a container of salt, quickly spreading them both over the bodies and then wasting no time dropping a match on the bodies.

 

As soon as the bodies started to burn, a huge groaning start up from… the house? “ _Run!_ ” Bobby shouted, grabbing his bag and running for the steps, and Sam and Dean raced behind him, rubble and dust starting to fall from the ceiling, which was cracking and squalling ominously.. They barely made it out the front door before the house began collapsing in on itself.

 

Dean watched the house slowly collapse, panting heavily. He turned to Sam and Bobby. ‘What the hell, Bobby?’ he demanded, baring his teeth. ‘That’s _never_ happened before!’

 

Bobby was still staring at the house. “I know. My best guess is the blood magic and the souls were so tied up in the house, the only thing supporting it, that when they went, so did the house.”

 

Sam was pretty shaken up too, but he paced over to Dean and rubbed their cheeks together, trying to soothe his mate. 'Are you okay?' he asked, already running his tongue over the tiger's fur, checking for wounds while he addressed Bobby. 'That was pretty intense. Not to mention weird. A gardener doing blood magic? Isn't that a bit above his pay grade?'

 

Dean took several breaths, forcing himself to relax and retract the claws. 'I'm fine,' he assured Sam, giving his mate's cheek a quick lick. Glancing up at Bobby, he suddenly flopped to the ground. 'Jesus. Been out of hunting too long if I get exhausted from this little bit,' he huffed out, butting his head against the panther at his side. 'How are you?' he asked.

 

Sam laid down beside Dean and started to groom him, kind of ignoring Bobby as the panther's instincts took over. 'Maybe you just need to stop launching yourself through windows and walls,' he suggested archly. It hadn't been fun, watching Dean literally throw himself into danger. It had never been fun before, but now that his heart was forever attached to Dean by an invisible but unbreakable cord, it was infinitely worse. 'I'm okay,' he added belatedly, huffing out a soft breath. Of course he was okay. Dean hadn't let him do any of the work, after all.

 

'But that's the best part!' Dean protested with a huff. He leaned forward and started grooming Sam, pausing when he saw Bobby shifting uncomfortably. 'Sorry. Habit.'

Bobby shook his head, laughing just a bit too loudly. 'Nah, I understand, um... Anyway, you idjits take care of yourselves. I guess, I mean-- Jesus," Bobby huffed, shaking his head. "Working with two skinwalkers who are brothers and mates. The hell is my life coming to?"

Sam ceased his ministrations too when he noticed Bobby's discomfort, but he made no move to leave his mate's side; he needed the closeness. 'It was weird for us, too,' he offered, the tone of his voice indicating that he would be smiling if he was able. 'But you'll get used to it. Are you taking off now?'

 

Bobby nodded, kicking a rock absently. "Yeah. Guess... Well, I gotta figure some way to keep hunters from your town as much as I can."

Dean nodded. 'What about us?' he asked, tilting his head to the side. 'What will you say about our disappearance?'

"Same thing I've said since this whole thing started: Hunters vanish," Bobby said, grinning slightly.

Sam laughed. 'Don't sound too cut up about it, will you?' he teased, before turning serious. 'Thanks, Bobby. You don't know how much we appreciate everything you do for us.' What he didn't say was how much they appreciated Bobby's acceptance of them, but everyone present heard it loud and clear all the same.

 

Bobby coughed awkwardly and shifted uncomfortably. "Right. Yeah, I know." He cleared his throat before saying, "So, I'm gonna just head out, let you two finish... whatever," he finished lamely. He gave them a quick wave before jumping in his truck, and Dean could just barely hear him restraining himself from gunning it out of pure embarrassment.

Laughing, Dean turned back to lick his mate's cheek. 'Guess he didn't want to stick around and watch how mates reassure themselves they're both fine,' he chuckled.

Sam just purred and went returned to his task of grooming Dean. They didn't have to be back with the clan just yet, which meant that he was going to take his time. 'It's not like we're going to fuck,' he complained, mock-indignant. 'Not yet, anyway. And definitely not out here. It's unsanitary. Doesn't he know us at all?'   
  
They were quiet for a few moments, each absorbed in what they were doing, but eventually Sam broke the silence again. 'You really are okay, right?' he murmured, low and concerned. 'How's your shoulder?'

 

'He hasn't exactly had a lot of contact with us since we became skinwalkers,' Dean pointed out, settling back in to groom his mate. 'And my shoulder's fine; just a little sore. It'll be fine when I shift back.'

 

'I'll give you a massage later,' Sam promised, his tone suggestive, as he nuzzled into Dean's neck. 'With a happy ending.'

 

Dean laughed and butted his head against Sam's shoulder. 'You're shameless,' he teased.

 

Sam huffed a laugh and ducked his head; if he had skin instead of fur, he would be blushing. 'You love me though,' he countered, pressing himself against Dean. 'And you didn't say no.'

 

'Because it's an excuse to have your hands all over me and we can pretend it's not gonna lead to sex,' Dean snickered, pressing himself more fully against his mate, content to stay here a little longer; Syllia and her mate could take care of things at home.

 

When they returned to the lair a couple of hours later, it was pleasing although unsurprising to discover that chaos hadn't descended amongst the clan in their absence. It was good to know, Sam thought, that they could get away for a while if they wanted to without dire consequences - unless they counted the full report Syllia insisted on giving them as soon as they were in the building. Nothing had actually happened while they were gone, but she still managed to spend twenty minutes telling them that.  
  
Sam spoke briefly to his clan as a collective that evening, thanking Syllia and her mate publicly for their help, and afterwards it was finally deemed acceptable for he and Dean to make themselves scarce. 'Come on,' Sam purred as they wandered through the complex together, giving his mate an encouraging nudge. 'I owe you a massage.'

 

Dean laughed. 'An Alpha giving a Beta a massage? What is this world coming to?' he teased. Still, he followed Sam down the corridor to their room, shifting once they were inside. "So, where do you want me to lay down?" he asked.

 

"Over there," Sam answered once he'd shifted too, pointing to the bedding reserved for nights like this. It wasn't covered in cat hair. "On your front. And I'll have you know that it's an Alpha's job to take care of his mate; that includes massages."   
  
As soon as Dean was comfortable Sam moved to join him, straddling the backs of his thighs and running his hands up his sides. They were woefully without massage oil - Sam made a mental note to put it on the list the next time the Omegas made a run for supplies - so he would have to make do without. Shame. Dean would love cinnamon-scented oils, Sam was sure. "Which shoulder was it, again?"

 

"Hm?" Having his Alpha straddling his thighs was extremely distracting, but Dean managed to pull his rapidly-scattering thoughts together long enough to say, "Oh, yeah, the right one." He let his arms rest at his side and his cheek press to the blankets, enjoying the attention from Sam. Since they'd taken over the pack, they hadn't had much time to themselves.

 

Sam smiled and set to work, trying to soothe the abused and tender muscles in Dean's shoulder. This part had to hurt, he knew, but then the knots he found told him that Dean had been in pain for a while anyway, and had been tensed against it. "You can't go throwing yourself around like you're twenty anymore," Sam chastised softly as he encouraged a particularly tough knot to loosen. "I love you, Dean, but you're no spring chicken anymore." Neither of them were. As cats, they were quick and agile, but a lifetime of hunting had put unusual, excessive strains on their muscles and joints and sometimes Sam's knees ached when he got up in the morning - not that he was ready to admit that to his brother.   
  
It took a while, but at last Dean's shoulder seemed to be relatively pain-free, and Sam's touch went from firm and determined to sensual and seductive. "How does it feel now?" he asked as his fingers played over Dean's skin, finding all the right spots that made his mate gasp and arch with practiced ease. Yeah, they really needed to invest in some massage oils.

 

"You're not as young as you used to be, either, Sammy--oh, jesus, that's good," Dean moaned, arching into Sam's touch. He felt more relaxed than he ever had before. "And it feels like now you're just using this as an excuse to seduce me. Not that you need one," he added with a soft moan.

 

"Shut up," Sam laughs breathily, leaning down to kiss the back of Dean's neck as his hands move lower on his mate's back. "I told you this would have a happy ending. Do you not want one?"

 

"No, I do," Dean said, turning to grin up at his mate. "Just saying, you don't need to seduce me to get me in your arms, Sam." He arched his back as Sam's hands hit a particularly sensitive spot. His toes curled in pleasure as he moaned, "On second thought, you can do _this_ anytime."

 

Sam's chuckle was downright filthy. "I _like_ doing this," he insisted, and it was true. "We may be mates, Dean, but that doesn't mean I can't spoil you. Quite the opposite, in fact. Never heard of foreplay?" He dragged his lips up Dean's neck and then nosed his way round to his cheek. "Tell me what you want," he murmured, breath ghosting over the flushed skin. 

 

Dean whimpered and squirmed underneath Sam. "You," he whispered. "I just want you, Sammy." He tilted his hips, pushing back against the hardening line of Sam's cock, and trying to get a little bit of friction against his own.

 

Sam moaned and pressed a brief kiss to Dean's cheek. He loved it when his mate said that, like he'd be willing to take whatever Sam gave him, but they both knew what it meant, and that Dean would never be denied. Sam flung a hand out to the side of them, finding the bottle of lube easily. He leaned up off of Dean while he slicked his fingers, and then dipped them into the cleft of his brother's ass, barely pressing one finger inside of him.  
  
"I love you," Sam sighed as he worked it deeper and crooked it, finding Dean's prostate almost immediately. "I've really missed being with you like this."

 

Dean gasped and arched off of the bedding, pushing back against Sam's finger and hand. "Love you, too," he gasped. "Oh, god, Sammy, love you so much." He couldn't seem to stop the whimper, it was always like this during sex, Sam just did _something_ , turned off all of Dean's filters.

 

Sam smiled, even as any blood remaining in circulation rushed south to fill his cock. Jesus. There was something so erotic about seeing Dean let go like this, and something so damn satisfying about hearing those words spill from his lips. Dean let all of his guards down when they mated, when they made love, and it just made the experience all the more intimate; it made Sam's heart race.  
  
He teased Dean for a few moments before sliding a second finger in with the first, stretching him open even as he bowed his head over Dean's back to taste the salt on his skin. Sam couldn't suppress a shudder. 

 

Dean whimpered and rolled his hips, desperate for some friction against his cock, and desperate for more inside of him than just Sam's fingers. "More, Sam, please," he moaned, rocking his hips, his hands fisting in the sheets.

 

"Alright, baby, alright," Sam soothed, stroking his free hand down Dean's side before he withdrew his fingers in favour of slicking himself up. He encouraged Dean onto all fours and knelt behind him, peppering Dean's back with kisses as he began to sink into his body. "Oh god," he gasped when he was fully seated at last. A few careful thrusts to get them used to the sensation had Sam panting, his whole body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. "You feel so good, Dean. So fucking good."

 

"You say that every time," Dean panted, grinning. He never felt closer-- emotionally as well as physically-- to Sam than when they were doing this. Closer than friends, brothers, even lovers. They were mates. Two halves of one whole. They couldn't have one without the other.

Slowly Dean rocked back, bracing himself on his elbows. "Move, please," he prompted gently.

"That's because it's true," Sam returned with a breathless laugh. "You have no idea..." But suddenly Sam did, and for a single, mindblowing moment he wondered if Dean would be open to that, to switching things up a little bit sometime. That thought was to be considered at a later date, though; his mate's voice was calling him back to the here and now, and he was helpless to do anything but pull his hips back and then snap them forward again, falling into the perfect rhythm their bodies found every time.

 

"Oh, god, yes, Sammy," Dean panted, rocking back and meeting Sam's thrusts. He never would have imagined, before all of this started, way back when Sam was first captured, that he would ever bottom. He'd fooled around with some guys, sure, but he'd never gone all the way. But for Sam, it felt right. Natural. Sam was Alpha, he was Beta. It was the way things were. _They_ were.

 

It took no time at all for things to escalate from there. Sam tried to draw it out, to make it last, but everything was just so intense after what felt like such a long time without this that his control snapped. Gripping Dean's waist, Sam began to drive into him, thrusting his hips at exactly the right angle to graze his mate's prostate every time. Sam let himself fall forward, and the kisses he pressed to Dean's back became harsh, panting breaths as the world around them fell away until only the two of them remained. It was then that Sam slid a hand over Dean's hip to stroke him. "Come on," he moaned, his rhythm faltering as he neared his own completion. "Love you so much, Dean. M'so close."

 

Dean loved it like this. He loved the slow and sweet stuff, too, the stuff that really drove home the fact that Sam loved him, but this was what proved to Dean that Sam _needed_ him, as much as Dean needed Sam. He arched his back, alternately thrusting back against Sam's hips and into his hand, feeling his own orgasm rising, pooling low in his gut. "Ngh, God, Sammy, love you, too, love you, love you, love you!" The last word disappeared into a gasp as he came over Sam's hand and the bedding beneath him.

 

Dean's orgasm triggered Sam's own and he spilled deep within his mate with a choked-off moan of his name. For a second everything seemed to be held in a perfect, blissful stasis, until they both collapsed to the bedding, skillfully avoiding the mess, in a heap of sweaty limbs and heaving chests. Sam couldn't speak for several long moments, but at last he managed to lean up a bit and urge Dean's face round for a kiss. "Love you," he sighed against Dean's lips, feeling ridiculously sated. "Really needed that."

 

"Mmm," Dean hummed contentedly. He burrowed closer to Sam, enjoying the scent of sex and Sam and Dean Alpha and Beta. "Love you, too," he murmured.

Sam sighed and wrapped his arms around Dean, a smile on his lips as his eyes slipped shut. They could deal with the mess, and the clan, and everything else tomorrow; right now he just wanted to fall asleep with his mate in his arms.

Dean smiled softly and snuggled back against Sam, quickly falling asleep in his mate's arms.

Over the next few months, Sam and Dean travelled out to local towns to take care of a couple of ghosts and a rogue shifter. The Clan grew to accept-- for the most part-- their Alpha's absences, but Dean couldn't help feeling things were going to come to a head soon.

One way or another.

Sam blinked as he stepped out into the sunlight, ducking his head against the glare. The last hunt had been particularly tough - not gruesome, but tiring and painful - and no one except Syllia knew they were back yet. Well, the clan could probably sense the presence of their Alpha and his mate, but since they had yet to actually show their faces, everyone was being kind enough to give them the privacy they needed.   
  
Sam had left Dean back in their room. It had been tempting, when he'd woken up, to just curl up against him and go back to sleep, but he'd felt oddly restless despite his exhaustion and he'd needed to stretch his legs anyway. Now that he was outside, he kind of wished that he'd stayed with his mate, but... The Alpha looked around. Everything was still; it was early morning and no one in the clan had begun to stir yet. This was Sam's favourite part of the day.  
  
Something fluttered in his peripheral vision and he turned to look at it, finding that it was the side of a pretty battered cardboard box, flapping in the breeze. Sam wanted to dismiss it, but the cat in him - the house cat, not the majestic feline he was supposed to be - wanted to sit in it. Really badly. Sam was too tired to resist; he padded over to the box, which had been pretty much flattened by the weather, and flopped down onto it, settling his forepaws over the squashed edge so he could rest his head on them.   
  
Satisfied, Sam closed his eyes and let his tail begin a half-hearted swish from side to side, creating a little cloud of dust behind him as it dragged along the floor. Someone would find him soon and demand that he resume his duties, but for now he could soak up the morning sun and try not to think about it. 

Dean woke slowly, blinking blearily. ‘Sam?” he asked when he didn’t feel Sam’s body pressed against his. Yawning widely, Dean stretched and slowly stood up, pausing to scratch at something just behind his ear. He lifted his head and tasted the air briefly before following Sam’s scent outside. He smirked when he finally came upon the panther lying on the squashed cardboard box, half-asleep.

Chuckling softly, Dean padded up to Sam and gently prodded him with a paw. ‘So much for being a dignified Alpha,’ he teased gently.

'M'not an Alpha,' Sam slurred, not even bothering to lift his head but flicking his tail in a way that invited Dean to join him. 'Not right now. I'm just a cat who needs some love.' He yawned and blinked his golden eyes open to peer beseechingly up at the tiger. 'C'mere.'

Dean huffed in amusement before lowering himself to lie down next to Sam in the cardboard box. 'This is very undignified,' he pointed out even as he rested his chin on the back of Sam's neck. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, breathing in his mate's comforting scent. Despite that and the warm sunshine cloaking them, he still felt a prickle of unease chasing itself under his pelt.

Sam chuckled. 'Do you care?' he challenged, relaxing even further with Dean's weight settled above him. Blissful. Except that there was something wrong. Dean felt oddly tense. 'You okay?' Sam asked, concern bleeding through his weariness.

Dean shifted. 'I don't know,' he answered, his voice puzzled. 'I just... I feel like there's something coming, you know?' He closed his eyes and tried to let himself relax into Sam, tried to convince himself he was wrong. 'Just uneasy. One of those days, I guess.'

Sam wanted to believe it was that simple, but he knew that it wasn't. They were hunters, and their instincts were sharper than most - if Dean had a funny feeling, there was a reason for it. He sighed, and let his tail come to rest over his mate's back. 'We'll keep our ears to the ground, okay?' he offered placatingly. 'If anything happens, the Betas will know. Try not to worry.'

Dean sighed and nodded. 'All right,' he said, sighing softly. 'I'll try. But you know me.'

 

Later that day, Dean and Sam were in the main hall talking to Syllia about some recent problems that had occurred during their last hunt when Dean suddenly stiffened. 'Sam!' he hissed. 'There's someone... new, coming up the drive.'

Sam nodded; he'd felt it, too. 'Alright,' he murmured, trying to soothe Dean before turning his attention to a Beta sitting by the doors. 'Take some others and go to meet whoever it is. Bring them here.' The Beta inclined his head and left the room, but rather than feeling settled, Sam was becoming more uneasy by the second. The air tasted wrong. 'Dean, do you want to go with them?'

'Yes,' Dean said instantly. He didn't wait for Sam to say anything else, instead joining the group of cats-- another tiger, a lioness, a leopard, and a mountain lion-- waiting to leave. He led them out of the compound, flicking his tail to indicate they should split up as they traveled through the grass lining the drive. Roughly half a mile down the road, Dean froze, sinking to the ground and tasting the air.

 

'Hunter!' he hissed. The guy must have left his car; he was moving through the undergrowth. Before Dean could say anything else, an agonized yowl split the air: The leopard had been shot.

 

'No!' Dean yowled, lunging forward. He was just in time to see the hunter turn, his face astonished as four big cats all leapt for him. He went down, still swinging, and it was several minutes before they managed to subdue the hunter. Dean had been slashed with a silver knife across his eye; he was lucky to have not lost it. He and the other skinwalkers shifted to human, the better to carry the hunter in to the compound.

As soon as the gunshot sounded, the whole clan exploded into uproar. Cats and humans alike were running everywhere, shouting in fear and shock and anger. The more prominent members of the clan hastened to the main hall, where Sam was quick to take control. The Betas were to assume their defensive positions, the Omegas were to move into the heart of the compound, and _no one_ was to panic; they didn't even know the nature of the danger yet. As he spoke, Sam's heart was knocking frantically against his ribs. Where was Dean? Was he hurt? What was happening?  
  
His chief Betas were just leaving to carry out their orders when the team that had been sent out to investigate returned. A human was being supported between four of his clan, but the leopard - a nice young man named Jeremy - was nowhere to be seen. And Dean was bleeding.  
  
Sam snarled his concern and one of the chief Betas moved fast; he'd relieved Dean of his burden before Sam had even finished shifting. "Is he the only one?" the Alpha demanded, and when Summer, the lioness, nodded, he snapped, "Get a chair and tie him up. Disarm him. He's not to leave this room until I say so."   
  
Sam was quick to move to Dean's side then, grasping his chin and tilting his head back to inspect the damage. Despite the nausea that rolled through him when he saw the blood running down the side of Dean's face, he couldn't afford to be the loving, caring mate right now - his clan needed direction more than his mate needed coddling. "You're okay," Sam murmured softly, more to reassure himself than Dean. "You'll need to get it seen to, but first, what the hell happened? Where's Jeremy?"

Dean yanked his head out of Sam's grip. "Bastard over there shot him," he snarled. "He's dead." Dean stalked around Sam, moving to study the hunter. "Question is, why is he here?"

Sam felt sick. Jeremy was dead? He followed Dean over to the hunter, who had been beaten unconscious as well as into submission, and vented his frustration by giving him a kick. "Wake up," he growled, furious. "What the fuck do you want from us?"

Evan grunted, blinking furiously. Where the hell-- The last thing he remembered was shooting at that leopard. Then--

 

His eyes widened and he tried to get to his feet, only to realize that he was thoroughly bound to a chair. He began struggling, but stopped when one of the men surrounding him stepped forward and slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side, and he glared at the man-- Wait. "It can't be," he breathed. "Dean Winchester?" His gaze shifted to the side, to the man standing behind Dean. "And Sam."

 

Dean froze when the hunter said his name. But when the hunter's focus shifted to Sam, Dean growled and stepped to the side. "Who are you?" he snapped, his teeth bared.

 

Evan returned his attention to Dean. "Evan Smith. Hunter. But I guess you already knew that."

 

Dean snorted. "Hunter and murderer," he snarled. "Jeremy never did  _anything,_  never hurt  _anyone,_  and you shot him, you son of a bitch!"

Sam put a hand on Dean's arm, gently urging him back. "Easy," he murmured, stepping forward to address the hunter himself. "You killed one of our friends," he reiterated, voice low and dangerous. "You'd better have a damn good reason for being here."

Evan's eyes tracked the way Sam and Dean acted around each other, and he felt like he should know why they seem so comfortable touching each other, but who can figure them? They're Winchesters. "Friends?" he scoffed. "Since when the hell are hunters friends with skinwalkers?"

 

"Since the hunters  _became_  skinwalkers, you jackass," Dean snapped. He was pleased to see Evan's eyes snap wide open. Good; Dean had his attention now. "Oh, you didn't know? Didn't know that the infamous Winchester brothers had gone MIA?" he sneered. "We were turned, and we decided to make the best of it. But we still hunt. Just not humans. So why are you here? There's been no supernatural activity anywhere  _near_  us."

 

It took Evan a few seconds to reply. The  _Winchesters_  were skinwalkers? "I heard about some suspicious activity in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere," he finally said slowly. "Friend of mine asked me to investigate, said he'd heard some sounds that weren't from any local animals. So I came."

 

"And you  _shot_  the first animal you saw, instead of just driving up and seeing if you could find anything out beforehand?" Dean asked incredulously. "How stupid can you get? How long have you been hunting?"

 

"Long enough, since  _skinwalkers_  killed my wife," Evan snapped.

Sam winced. _Great_. "I'm sorry about your wife," he allowed, trying to keep his tone even, to play the good cop to Dean's bad cop. "But you can't blame us for another's crime. You had no right to charge in here firing bullets and swinging blades." He cut his gaze to Dean, lingering on the slice that had been taken out of his face. "We're a peaceful clan. The other skinwalkers here answer to Dean and I, and if you'd restrained yourself, you would have seen that we're no threat."

"' _Restrained_  myself'? 'No threat'?" Evan snarled. "Skinwalkers are monsters, even the ones that used to be hunters."

 

"No," Dean snapped, slamming his hands down on the arms of the chair Evan was tied to. "Not in this Clan. We don't hunt people, we barely even hunt animals." He straightened, turning to Sam. "What do you want to do with him?" he asked, gesturing to the bound hunter. "We can't just let him go."

 

Syllia stepped forward. "If I may, perhaps we could simply keep him here? At least until we are sure he is no longer a threat."

 

"Keep me here? No way in fucking hell are you keeping me here!" Evan shouted.

 

"Shut up," Dean snarled. "You lost any right you had to an opinion while on  _our_  territory when you killed Jeremy." Taking a deep breath, he looked to Sam. "What do you think? It might end up being a lot of trouble, but..." 

 

Sam nodded in agreement. "We can't let him go, and I don't want to kill him. What kind of example would that set? The only other choice we have aside from keeping him here is turning him, and..." He looked down at Dean, letting him see the warring emotions in his eyes. Becoming skinwalkers had turned out to be the best thing that had ever happened to them, but the circumstances had been less than ideal, and way too similar to these. Sam had been tortured with silver for almost a year under Erik, and he still didn't have a full idea what Dean had gone through to get him to come to terms with their new place in the world.   
  
"Yeah. We'll keep him around," Sam sighed at last, turning away. "Syllia, can you find us somewhere to put him?"

 

Syllia smiled. She was nothing if not efficient. "Already done," she chirped, gesturing to a couple of the Betas to pick up Evan-- chair and all-- and follow her down the hall. Evan's panicked shouts echoed back to them for several minutes, and it was nearly half an hour before Dean could talk to Sam in private.

 

"Well. Can't say this is entirely unexpected," he said.

"Had to happen sometime," Sam agreed, smiling grimly. "We'll work it out. I just hope his absence doesn't cause a mob of hunters to turn up on our doorstep." He walked up to Dean and wrapped him in his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "How's your eye? Looks like it hurts."

"Geroff me," Dean grumbled, but it was without heat and he made no move to push Sam away. "It's fine. And he was too cocky; he hasn't been hunting long." He wrapped his arms around Sam, resting his forehead on Sam's shoulder. Dean sighed wearily. "So. Any ideas on how to convince him that we aren't a threat?"

 

Sam hummed and began to nose into Dean's hair, closing his eyes as he absorbed the comforting warmth of his mate's skin. "Just let him observe the clan," he suggested. "From a safe distance. He'll work it out eventually." His hold tightened briefly, and he slid a hand up Dean's back, fingers working into his hair. "Are you okay? I know you liked Jeremy."

"Jesus, who _didn't_  like Jeremy?" Dean muttered, leaning into Sam's touch. "Kid was great. He didn't even _do_ anything, Sammy. He was just there, like we all were, just observing, trying to figure out what was going on! Evan didn't even shoot him in the head; he shot him through the chest." Dean shook his head, fighting back the tears and anger that wanted to break out.

Sam flinched and closed his eyes, pressing his face into Dean's hair. "He didn't deserve it," he mumbled in agreement. "What Evan did was cruel and inhumane. But from the sound of things, Jeremy went quick all the same. He looked up to you; he'd have appreciated you being there for him at the end." Sam hesitated then, knowing he had to ask but not really wanting to hear the answer. "Do you think we should've killed him?"

"No," Dean said without hesitation. "I want to make him hurt, but it's not what's best for the Clan. We need Evan to see that while some skinwalkers are dangerous, _we_  aren't." He was quiet for a moment. "He'll need a guard, or else he'll try to escape," he said finally.

"Not you," Sam said quickly, firmly. He pulled back just enough to kiss Dean, slow and sweet, and then released him. "Go give whatever orders you need to, but then come back, okay? I wanna sleep for a week but I can't if you're not there."

"You won't get much sleep with me there, either," Dean retorted, winking at Sam as he walked off to go talk to some of the Betas. He finally settled on an alternating watch of Syllia's mate and another Beta to keep an eye on Evan at all times, and let him walk around and see what Clan life was like.

 

After he was done, Dean made his way back to the room he and Sam shared, where Sam was waiting for him. He sighed and shifted. 'Jesus, what a day.'

Sam, already shifted into the panther, inclined his head in agreement. 'Tell me about it,' he murmured dryly. 'But it's over now. Get over here; let me take care of you.'

Dean smiled and laid down next to Sam, assuming their usual sleeping position. 'Now we just need to make sure Evan doesn't get carried away.'

 

The next day, Dean raised an eyebrow when he saw that Evan was sitting in the main room, clothed, but with no restraints on him. He knew the hunter didn't have any weapons on him, but that didn't stop Dean from mistrusting him. He walked over to Evan, still in his tiger skin. 'So. What do you think of the clan so far?'

 

Evan almost fell over sideways when Dean's voice broke through his thoughts. As it was, he dropped his cup of water, scrambling to keep out of the way when the tiger hissed and shook the water from his fur. "Holy shit!" he yelped. "What the hell was that?"

 

'That was me talking to you, dumbass,' Dean said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. As it was, he flicked an ear dismissively. 

 

Sam laughed as he wandered in behind Dean. It appeared that his mate had regained some of his equilibrium after their night together; rather than going for Evan's jugular with his teeth, he was snarking at him. Sam loved this side of Dean.   
  
'This is how we communicate,' he explained, moving to Dean's side. 'I'd get used to it, if I were you. Or would you rather us walk around naked?'

Evan blanched. "I would almost prefer that. Almost!" he squawked at the decidedly mischievious look in the black tiger's green eyes.

Dean snickered. 'Like Sam said: Get used to it. You're gonna be here a while.'

Evan's face fell. "A while?"

'Until we decide you're not a threat,' Dean clarified.

'And we're not,' Sam insisted. 'We're keeping you here to protect ourselves, not to harm you.' He looked at Dean, at the scratch down his face, and thought of Jeremy. 'As long as you don't try to hurt any of us again, anyway.'

Evan's mouth set itself into a thin line. He would not apologize; no matter what the Winchesters said, skinwalkers were dangerous. But the Winchesters accepting _themselves_ as skinwalkers... "How did you two become skinwalkers?" he asked, eyeing the two cats curiously.

Dean looked at Sam for a moment before replying. "We were investigating a clan of skinwalkers who had gotten a bit too frisky with the locals."

'We got caught. The Alpha recognised us, thought it'd be funny to turn us,' Sam continued. 'Dean escaped, but I couldn't. I was forced into submission with a silver collar, and I was pretty well conditioned by the time Dean came back for me. I realised I was an Alpha pretty soon after that, and we took over the clan.'

 

Evan couldn't help being intrigued. "So how'd you come to grips with being skinwalkers?" he asked.

Dean shrugged one shoulder. 'Me, I just wanted Sammy back and that bastard dead. Took more than a year to find them, so by then, well. Being a skinwalker's not half bad. Not like being a werewolf; at least like this, we are still in control of ourselves.'

Sam nodded, sharing a tender look with his mate. 'I didn't have a choice; it was either learn to live with the clan or die, and I couldn't die. Not when I knew Dean might still be out there somewhere.' He cleared his throat. 'But Dean's right. There are far worse things to be turned into. Skinwalkers aren't evil by nature - and besides, it's pretty cool, being able to turn into an animal.'

 

"Hm," Evan mumured, turning his cup over in his hand thoughtfully. Dean sensed that they should probably leave the young hunter alone now, but he couldn't resist one parting shot.

'Most skinwalkers were once human. There's evil humans same as good ones,' he said before wandering over to Syllia and striking up a conversation with her about supplies and such.

It took about a week, but at last Sam and Dean felt comfortable enough to allow Evan to explore the compound unguarded. He seemed to have accepted that, as long as he behaved himself, he was in no danger there - and it was probably best to let him experience clan life on his own rather than under the watchful gaze of one of the Betas. They were still keeping a close eye on him, of course. No way were they risking a repeat of the Jeremy incident.  
  
Sam was in the main hall as usual, discussing their next supply run with Dean, and was leaning over his shoulder to scrawl _massage oil_ onto their list when Evan walked in. Sam smiled, and shifted so that his position was a little more modest. The hunter still hadn't become accustomed to the whole naked thing. "Hey," he greeted, as warmly as he could. "What can we do for you?"

 

Dean glanced over his shoulder at the hunter as Evan shifted on his feet. "I wanted to apologize," Evan said finally. "For... ya know. Shooting that kid."

Dean stiffened, but he didn't trust himself to say anything; Jeremy had been basically another brother to Dean.

Sam tensed with Dean, but knew it was up to him to handle this - at least for now. "Thank you," he said carefully, his hand tightening its grip on Dean's shoulder. "That can't have been easy to say; it means a lot." He cleared his throat pointedly. "Does this mean you're coming to realise that we're not evil?"

Evan shrugged, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "You're not what I expected. I guess I expected something more like shifters."

"We're not," Dean snapped, getting up, shaking off Sam's hand and shifting to the tiger before bounding out of the room.

Evan watched Dean go, then turned to Sam, uncertainty in his gaze. "Did I... say something?" he asked tentatively.

 

Sam winced. "We all loved Jeremy, but Dean was the closest to him," he offered carefully, chewing his lip. "And we've had some bad experiences with shifters in the past, so he probably doesn't appreciate the comparison. Do you mind..?" Without waiting for an answer, Sam shifted to the panther and followed after Dean, sending a Beta in to see to Evan with a jerk of his head.  
  
Dean's scent was easy enough to pick up, and it led Sam outside, to their cardboard box. Sam didn't join him, choosing instead to hang back and give his mate some space. 'Hey...' he began softly, trying and failing not to sound as concerned as he felt. 'Are you okay?'

Dean sighed, his head on his paws. 'No,' he said honestly. 'Is it going to be like this every time a misguided hunter comes knocking? Lose one of our family, then have them be all apologetic after they realize we're not that bad?'

Sam cocked his head to one side. 'I don't know,' he answered truthfully. 'I hope not. Maybe Evan will be able to help Bobby keep other hunters away from us.' He sighed. 'I'm sorry about Jeremy. I pray to God that we never have to go through that again. But Dean, we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that we will. Life's not fair, and it's not easy, especially for people like us.'

 

'I know,' Dean sighed. 'Doesn't mean I have to like it.' He got to his feet and gave himself a shake. 'You're right; maybe he can help Bobby keep other hunters off us.’

Sam nodded, relieved. 'Yeah. We can talk to him about it when he's a little more comfortable with us,' he suggested. 'It's one think to acknowledge that we're not that bad but another entirely to agree to protect us.'

 

Dean nodded as well. 'Yeah. Took me several months before i'd admit that being a skinwalker wasn't half bad.'

Sam hummed in acknowledgement, and twitched his tail in the direction of the door. 'You ready to go back inside?" he asked gently. "I left Evan with Tom; he probably won't show his face for a while.'

Dean nodded. 'Yeah. I just... it just rankles, that he thought... well, it's the same thing we thought hundreds, thousands of times when we were hunting. Bit different to be on the other side of the issue, is all.' He got to his feet and rubbed against Sam. 'I'm just glad we're still together in this.'

Sam purred and pressed back against his mate, nuzzling into his fur. 'Me too,' he murmured. 'You know I'm not going anywhere.'

'Good,' Dean murmured, giving Sam's cheek one last lick before starting back inside the compound.

'So Evan,' Sam began about a week later, tone conversational as he peered benignly over at the hunter. They were in the main hall but the only other person present was Dean, and they were sitting closer together, like friends. Or rather, Evan was sitting close to them - there was next to no space between the panther and the tiger. 'Have you thought any about what you're going to do when you leave here?'

 

Evan was quiet for a moment before he replied. "Yeah, I have. I'm not going to say you've convinced me all monsters are good-- you and I both know that's a lie-- but... Well, I'll not say the same for all skinwalkers, but your clan isn't half bad."

 

Dean snorted at that, leaning slightly closer to Sam. 'Not half bad,' he repeated mockingly.

Sam sighed and let his tail drag down Dean's back, hoping to soothe him. 'Easy,' he murmured, a slight touch of amusement to his voice, before he turned to Evan again. 'We didn't keep you here to convince you that every monster is good,' he acknowledged. 'Or even every skinwalker. But we are. We're not a threat to civilians or the hunting community. All we want is to be left alone. If you can see that, then...' Sam risked a glance at Dean. 'We have something to ask of you.'

Evan tilted his head slightly. He had a feeling he knew what they were going to ask.

'Do you know a hunter named Bobby Singer?' After Evan nodded, Dean continued, 'He knows about us, and he's agreed to help keep hunters from this area. What we want to know is, will you help him?'

Evan hesitated only for a moment. "Sure. If it keeps more guys like me from comin."

Sam huffed out a breath and leaned against Dean, relieved and pleased. 'Thank you,' he said, regarding Evan with something close to respect. 'We'd really like to avoid a repeat performance. No one in our clan deserves to go through that again.'

Evan reddened and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know." After another few moments, he ventured, "So, when are you letting me go?"

Dean glanced at Sam. 'Tomorrow?' he suggested.

Sam nodded. 'Yeah. It's late, so you can stay here tonight, but after that you're free to go. We'll give you Bobby's number; he knows to expect your call.'

Evan nodded. "Well, then I guess I'll head to bed." He got up and nodded to the Alpha and Beta before heading down the hallway to the bedroom he'd been given.

Dean watched the hunter go, then turned and rubbed his cheek against Sam's. 'Well, glad he's seen the light.'

 

Sam chuckled and returned the caress, giving Dean's cheek a lick. 'You're glad he's leaving,' he corrected wryly. 'Can't fool me.'

 

'Yes, I am,' Dean chuckled. 'He's a nice enough guy, but... well, I still can't forget that he shot first. Maybe Bobby'll take him under his wing.' Dean was contemplatively quiet for a moment. 'Were we like that?'

Sam hesitated before answering. 'Yeah,' he confirmed softly. 'We were. Dad raised us that way; to believe that if it's not human, it's evil. Most of the time he was right, but... We hardly ever stopped to make sure before we put a bullet between something's eyes. Or cut something's head off,' he added, thinking of Lenore and the vampire they'd killed before she had Sam kidnapped.

 

'Yeah,' Dean agreed. He sighed softly and butted his head against Sam's shoulder. 'At least we've sort-of seen the errors of our ways,' he said. 'Come on; let's head to bed.'

The send-off party for Evan the next day turned out to consist of Sam and Dean. The rest of the clan liked him fine, but they were still sore from Jeremy's death and were more than happy to let their Alpha and his mate carry out the necessary pleasantries. It wasn't as awkward as it could be. Sam had even insisted that they wear clothes for the occasion, because it seemed important that they be human for this and Evan still wasn't comfortable with the whole naked thing. He kept a hand low on Dean's back, even as he offered his other hand to Evan.   
  
"Thank you," he said with a smile as they shook, "for being open-minded enough to see things our way. I know I speak for Dean as well as myself when I say that we're grateful that you've agreed to help us protect our clan."

Dean snorted, playing his role of bad cop to the full effect. "But if you don't, we have your scent," he muttered darkly. He didn't smile as he reached out to shake Evan's hand.

Evan smiled tentatively at Dean, unsure whether or not Dean was completely serious. "Well, I'm going to Bobby's after I leave, so hopefully we'll get a plan together soon." He waved to Sam and Dean as he left to head back down the drive to his car.

Sam waved back for a brief moment before turning his attention to Dean, sliding his arm around his waist and turning to press his lips to his temple. "Could you not behave for five seconds?" he asked with a low chuckle. "The guy was leaving; did you have to threaten to kill him?"

"Me? Threaten to kill him?" Dean batted his eyelashes innocently. "No, I just told him we had his scent." He kissed Sam with a laugh before shifting and trotting off, his tail flicking side to side.

Bobby eyed the young man standing in front of him "So you're Evan," he said finally. Evan nodded. "Sam and Dean sent you?" Another nod. "All right then. We got work to do."

 


End file.
